


The Legend of Mae-Lin - Book 1: Resistance

by mandy_lynny



Series: The Legend of Mae-Lin [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Deaf Character, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Mental Health Issues, Physical Disability, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:41:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28484790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandy_lynny/pseuds/mandy_lynny
Summary: *An Avatar World Fanfic. Set 70 years after the events after the end of Season 4 of Legend Korra., year 244 AG*Mae-Lin is the new Avatar, a lowly earthbender born into the poor farming village of Plains. After a gang of former convicts, bandits, and no good thugs called "The Resistance" loot and pillage her village, Mae-Lin makes it her mission to train and become strong enough to take down the group herself. After a set of unfortunate circumstances following the destruction to her village, Mae-Lin turns to her friends she met at Republic City Academy to help her in taking down The Resistance once and for all.
Series: The Legend of Mae-Lin [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2086497
Comments: 8
Kudos: 4





	1. Welcome to the Resistance

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea that I have had floating around in my head for a while! Finally got to writing it! Posting it here since it's not gaining a lot of traction on Wattpad. Hope you enjoy!

244 AG

Plains village has had a rough history. During the 100 year war, the town was ravaged by Earth Kingdom thugs who took more than they could give. After the war ended, the town had difficulty recovering. The town has relied mostly on their agriculture, but with with little success. The people get by though. They are strong and resilient, like most Earth Confederation folk. They take care of their own and rely on each other to survive. 

Mae-Lin has always been proud of where she's from. Humble beginnings as most would say. Even when the White Lotus forced Mae-Lin to attend Republic City Academy shortly after her discovery as the Avatar, Mae-Lin was always excited to return to her hometown to tend to the fields of her family's pig farm and play her favorite game with her friends, earth ball. 

The last game of the day was winding down as the sun began to set on a warm spring day. Mae-Lin was finishing packing up the equipment when her best friend Zylon walked over, still gleaming over his teams surprise victory. 

"I still can't believe I blocked that last shot of yours! Maybe the Avatar isn't as good as she thinks she is," he said with a cocky grin. His deep green eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as he made it known to the Avatar that even non benders can push benders around sometimes. 

"Would you keep your voice down! Are you trying to reveal to the whole world who I am?" Mae-Lin exclaimed. Mae-Lin tucked a loose piece of her curly brown hair behind her ear as she continued to pack. She was frustrated that Zylon had somehow managed to block what would have been the game tying goal for her team. 

Zylon let out a small chuckle as he kneeled down to help Mae-Lin finish packing. 

"No one is around Mae-Lin. You are always left with packing up the equipment. We are fine."

"Look I don't need any more reasons for the White Lotus to keep me away from my family even more than it already does. It's already hard enough being away 9 months out of the year going to school in Republic City."

"Oh come on! You love it there! The first time you came back I couldn't get you to shut up about all the stuff you learned. It was annoying."

Mae-Lin threw a soft punch in his upper arm. While Mae-Lin was strong, her blow didn't do much to cause any harm. Zylon giggled as he zipped up the last bag and threw his broad swords onto his back.

"What? It was annoying! Luckily you have toned it down since then."

"I quickly caught on to your un-amusement when I realized you began to wear earplugs around me."

"Hey, it worked."

Mae-Lin gave him another shove as they began to walk back to the center of the village to drop off the equipment at the community center. This time she was able to get him to loose his footing and stumble a bit. 

"Hey you got stronger since the last I saw you. Before you were the one stumbling after you gave me a shove like that."

"Don't underestimate the power of the Avatar," she said with a wink. 

She glared at him with her bright green eyes, tempting him to try her again. Zylon wiped his hands through his long slick black hair to take out the ponytail that had been keeping it up during the game. His hair cascaded down just past his shoulders and rested on his well defined chest. 

"That was a fun game. The games haven't been nearly as competitive since you have been away," said Zylon.

"I missed playing so much. The only physical activity I get is my training at the Academy. It's nice to do something for fun," Mae-Lin responded.

"How is your training going by the way? Nobody has caught on that you are the Avatar yet?"

Mae-Lin shot him another glare. 

"I train in off hours when the gym is closed. They have White Lotus members in disguise patrolling the building. I have nothing to worry about," said Mae-Lin. She wiped some sweat away from her forehead before continuing. 

"I've basically mastered the basics of firebending by now. The White Lotus doesn't want me learning advanced forms until I get all the basics down. Air has been pretty easy, but I still have some ways to go. Waterbending has been a bit more....difficult."

"What is making Waterbending so hard?"

"Like I know! Master Ahnah says it's because I have a hard time being more flowing and free, that I'm too stiff and rigid."

"Well you are too stiff and rigid."

Zylon and Mae-Lin both laughed in unison as they approached the entrance to the community center. The place wasn't much, but it offered a place for the children of the village to unwind and have fun outside of their farming and schooling duties. 

"Here's all the equipment Mr. Sho," said Mae-Lin as she handed over the multiple bags.

"Thank you Mae-Lin. I can always count on you and Zylon to make sure all of the equipment returns by the end of the day."

Mae-Lin offered a smile and began to turn away when Mr. Sho interrupted her.

"Mae-Lin how has school been?" he asked.

"Oh you know...it's school!" she said cautiously.

"I am still amazed your parents are able to send you there. One of the best schools in the world in one of the largest cities. I bet that place is an eye opener compared to our village."

"It's nice, but nothing beats the family atmosphere of Plains."

Mr. Sho smiled. "It sure doesn't beat-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. Sho but I really should get going. My mom wanted me back before sundown for dinner. It was nice talking to you!" 

"Oh, sorry dear. You take care now!"

Mae-Lin waved as her and Zylon left the community center. 

"Wow you got out of that quick. I thought we would get stuck there for hours," said Zylon.

"Don't be silly. The center closes in 20 minutes," Mae-Lin responded.

"That wouldn't stop Mr. Sho".

It was a short walk from the community center to Mae-Lin's family pig farm. The Lee Family Pig farm is one of the only things in the Earth Confederation that has survived the 100 year war and her family takes great pride in it. Zylon's family's cow farm was a stones throw away from her family's compound, and they often shared the workload that came with running their family farms. As they both approached their homes, Zylon's older brother Haran was raking up some stray hay in one of fenced in areas.

"Bout time! I thought I would I have to go get you two. Dinner's almost ready," he said annoyingly. 

"We would have been back sooner if we had help cleaning up and if Mr. Sho wasn't so chatty," Zylon responded.

"Not my problem. Just try to make it home earlier next time. I can tell Mom's getting frustrated with you coming home so late."

"It's not like there aren't enough hands around to take care of dinner. Why is it such an issue? I do my part by doing all the hard labor in the morning. The rest of the crew can handle the evening shift of work."

Haran rolled his eyes as he continued to sweep the pen.

"Whatever. Just try and make it back earlier tomorrow?" 

"Sure. Fine. Whatever."

"Can you at least take this bag of hay back to the stables on your way back?"

Zylon grabbed the bag vigorously out of his brother's hand.

"Sure thing boss."

Haran dropped his rake and looked as if he was going to attack his brother, but he quickly decided against it. 

"If I wasn't so tired from today's work I would smack that grin right off your face. Now get inside before I regret that decision."

Before Zylon could respond a huge rumbling beneath their feet began to shake the ground. In the distance a plume of smoke and dirt began to rise into the air. Screaming and yelling could be heard from the outskirts of town. Large bangs coming from the sounds of earth benders could be felt and heard and bolts of fire shot into the air. 

It was The Resistance. A group that prides itself on "taking back what's theres" by picking on the little guy. For the past 3 years they have looted and pillaged small Fire Nation and Earth Confederation villages. They show no mercy in eliminating anyone who gets in their way. Plains has avoided being attacked by this group, due mainly to the fact that the White Lotus has secretly offered protection to the town, but today may be the day that protective layer was gone. 

"Quick, get inside! Hurry!" shouted Haran. 

The three headed to the main dining area in the Lee Family compound where many others had already gathered for dinner. Mae-Lin spotted her mother and immediately ran to her.

"Mom, it's The Resistance! We have to go help!" Mae-Lin exclaimed. 

Mae-Lin turned to leave when her mom grabbed her arm.

"No Mae! You can't leave. If anything were to happen to you I...I...-"

"It could lead to grave consequences."

Just then Mae-Lin noticed that one of the Grand Lotus members, Hong-Ra had appeared. Just by looking at him you knew that he was in charge. He stood tall with wide shoulders and strong hands. Regarded as the best earth bender of his generation, Hong-Ra could maintain control just by his presence. While he had a tough exterior, Hong-Ra was considered a peaceful mediator. He helped to maintain balance and order as best as he could within the world while Mae-Lin continued to train to master all the elements. Mae-Lin was confused as to why he was here in her village, but she quickly assumed that Hong-Ra knew they were coming and came to offer protection to her village. 

"Mae-Lin you have to stay out of this. If The Resistance were to find out that you are the Avatar and they managed to capture you, this would cause a full out war within the nations," Hong-Ra explained. "Let the White Lotus and the Village Police handle this."

"But...but..."

"I mean it Mae-Lin! Stay here where you are safe. A few members of the White Lotus are on their way to help secure your family compound. The best you can do is stay here."

"Why are they here?" 

"Not exactly sure. We got some intelligence that they were coming, and I sent as many extra men as I could on such short notice."

"And this is why I need to help!"

"Mae-Lin Lee! If Hong-Ra needs to explain himself one more time why you need to stay here you will be raking up so much pig shit that you won't be able to get the smell out of your hair for the rest of your life!" shouted her mother, with her finger pointed at her. 

Mae-Lin's mom rubbed her hand on her forehead and wiped it through long curly brown hair in a sign of frustration. All the young children sang "OOOOOO" in unison while Zylon tried to grab Mae-Lin's arm to keep her from leaving. Mae-Lin tried to protest again, but it there was no use. Hong-Ra was right. She had to stay hidden. 

Hong-Ra turned his focus to Mae-Lin's mom.

"Gema we need to gather all benders of age to help. By the look and sound of the current attack, they brought their firepower today," Hong-Ra explained. "We may not win this fight, but we may be able to land a blow to their forces."

"I'll gather all the benders I know. You stay here with Mae-Lin and the rest of my family," she responded.

"Gema I don't think-"

"Hong-Ra you need to stay here. If The Resistance are here they may know who she is. If they find her you are the only one capable of protecting her. I don't know what I would do if...if.." 

Gema's light brown eyes began to tear up at the thought of anything happening to her daughter. Mae-Lin always had a special place in Gema's heart, the only bender in her family. While Gema loved all her children equally, she had a special bond with her only child who was able to possess the gift of earth bending she had. Gema wanted to do whatever it takes to not only protect Mae-Lin but the rest of her family. 

"I agree with my daughter. Hong-Ra we need you here. We have little firepower to defend ourselves," said Mae-Lin's gram Yu-Lin. "Gema is capable of gathering all the benders in the village by herself. If she stays here she will not be able to protect us all."

Hong-Ra sighed. "You are right. Reinforcements should be here soon. Gema, hurry. If my intelligence is correct, The Resistance doesn't plan on staying here long. If you stand a chance at defending your village you have to act quickly."

Gema quickly turned to Mae-Lin and her children.

"Come here," she said as she wrapped them all in a tight embrace. "I want you all to know how much I love you. How much your father and I love you. If anything were to happen to us-"

"But nothing will happen Mama!" shouted Mae-Lin's younger brother, Gangi as he held his mother close. Gangi dug his face deeper into his mothers long brown hair to wipe tears that had already cascaded down his puffy cheeks. 

"I can't be so sure Gangi. I want you to know how much we love you. I will try my best to come back safe," Gema said, wiping a stray tear from under his eye. 

"I love you mom," said Mae-Lin's older sister, Hua, holding her mother close. 

Gema placed gentle kisses on the heads of all her children through her own tears. After many pleas of convincing her not to leave, the siblings finally allowed her to follow her order to protect the village. She held a lingering hug with Mae-Lin before turning her attention to Haran, the only other earthbender within the compound.

"Haran, we are going to need you. Will you join the fight?" she asked.

"Anything to save my village from a couple of low life thugs," he replied. He threw his long black hair up to prepare himself for the long fight. 

"I'm coming too," said Zylon, taking out his swords.

"Are you crazy? You don't stand a chance with these guys? Your sword fighting skills are great, but these guys don't mess around," shouted Haran. His piercing green eyes looked at Zylon, daring him to not move a muscle. 

"I'm of age and I can do what I want," said Zylon.

"Zylon please don't go! I need you here!" shouted Mae-Lin through tears. 

Zylon looked back. He never thought that someone who was only 2 years younger than him could look so small. He saw the tears in her eyes, fighting to stay put. He sighed.

"I'll stay here. I can help protect the compound if it came to it," Zylon said, though frustrated.

"Good move brother," Haran said. He wrapped Zylon into a strong, but short hug. Haran almost swallowed Zylon, and Zylon was pretty tall and muscular himself. 

"I love you bro," said Haran. 

Both Gema and Haran sprinted out the door before Zylon could utter another word. They headed to the village to join in the fight with the White Lotus and the Village Police. Mae-Lin fought back tears as she saw her mother fade away in the distance for what could very well be the last time. She thought of her dad, captain of the village police and how he as a non bender was defending himself against a group of heavy hitters.

Just then Mae-Lin felt Hua touch her shoulder. 

"Do you think we can beat The Resistance?" asked Hua. 

"I honestly don't know. We can only hope," Mae-Lin responded. 

What seemed like hours was only minutes before White Lotus reinforcements arrived. Hong-Ra left before even saying anything to the reinforcements or to Mae-Lin. For the next few moments large bangs and flashes could be seen and heard from a distance. The earth shook like multiple tiny earthquakes as the battle to save Plains raged on. Mae-Lin held her siblings close as the fighting intensified. 

After a short while, Mae-Lin rose to find Zylon. After a quick search she found him seated at the long table, pushing around at some food on a plate. 

"I have to go help," said Mae-Lin, sitting down next to him.

"We need to stay here," said Zylon firmly. He lowered his fork down and turned his body towards hers. 

"I can't just let our village be destroyed by The Resistance. I don't care if the whole world knows who I am. Maybe they will do something about this if they know that Avatar is ready to help," said Mae-Lin.

"But you aren't 16 yet. The White Lotus-"

"I don't give two cow-pig craps what they think and that I'm not "of age" to be revealed to the world. It's time I make my own decisions," said Mae-Lin, shifting her gaze. "Can you create a distraction?"

"Mae-Lin...I..." Zylon hesitated. 

"Can you create a distraction!" she demanded. 

Zylon nodded his head. Deep down he knew that all his convincing could not sway Mae-Lin's mind. She has always been sure of herself and stubborn as some of the cows on his farm. Zylon slowly grabbed his broad swords out of their sheaths and rose, creating the distraction that Mae-Lin needed. 

"I'm going to help!" he shouted.

"We can't let you do that," said one of the White Lotus members.

"Yes you can. I'm 16. You can't make me stay here," he said.

While Zylon and the White Lotus continued to argue Mae-Lin quietly slipped out a side door. When she was far enough away, she picked up her speed with the help of earthbending. Small hills of earth pushed her way along the path at record speed. Within minutes she was back in the center of town. Mae-Lin saw small groups of thugs looting and pillaging all the small shops, kiosks, and houses that were around the square. The police force was doing everything they could to hold their own, but it was too much. 

Suddenly a large gust of wind began to appear from the sky. A large tornado began to take form and made its way through the center of town, destroying almost everything in its path. That tornado could only mean one thing. 

He's here. 

Liang, the leader of the Resistance, was in her village. The fallen grandson of Meelo had decided to get his hands dirty and attack Plains. A rare sighting could only mean one thing. There's something important he's after. Just what was he looking for? 

Mae-Lin tried to hold her own, but the tornado was too powerful. She tried with all her might to keep herself on the ground by burying her feet with earthbending to try and stabilize herself, but it was no use. Suddenly Mae-Lin was lifted off the ground. Her body flailed around like a ragdoll, loosing control of her arms and legs. She tried and tried to work her way out, but all it did was make it harder to breathe. Suddenly, her body slammed into a nearby structure, knocking her through a building. Shards of glass and wood broke around her, cutting her fair skin. As she crashed through the second floor of the building, a jagged piece of wood sliced into her head, creating a deep gash right behind her right ear. A scream erupted from her lips as she continued to fall to the bottom floor of the building. She landed with a large "crack" as her shoulders, back, and head took most of the impact. For a moment everything turned black. 

What seems like seconds later Mae-Lin was lightly shaken awake by a familiar face. Once her eyes came into focus she could see it was Hong-Ra. He was mouthing words, but no sound came out. 

"Mae-Lin? Can you hear me?" he said louder.

Mae-Lin could barely make out what he was by reading his lips. Her eye sight was still quite blurry, but she knew that he was trying to talk to her. 

"I can't hear you," she answered.

Just then panic set it. She couldn't hear him, nor could she hear herself. She tried to speak again, hoping it was her mind playing tricks on her.

"I....I can't hear you," she said again, nervously. 

This time it was real. She could not hear what her mentor was saying to her. 

"It's okay, I will get help," he said, rising up. He worked his way out of the rubble, shouting for a healer to arrive.

Mae-Lin's eyes became heavy and she tried to stay awake. The pain in her head was intensifying. She painfully rose her right hand to her head to survey one of the many injuries she sustained. Her hair was coated thick with blood as she felt where the wood had stabbed her. A small piece was still lodged in her head. She weakly tried to pull it out, but all it did was cause a shockwave of pain to run from her head down her neck. She began to fade in and out into darkness as her eyes struggled again to stay open. Suddenly she felt a cool sensation course through her body. She soon recognized that a healer had begun to tend to her injuries as some of the pain began to subside. She could barely make out her round face and long brown hair through her blurry eyes. After a few minutes she could now move her body without pins and needles pricking at every nerve.

"Can she hear us now Hara?" Hong-Ra asked, unbeknown to Mae-Lin.

"I don't think so. This isn't good. I need to get spirit water, immediately," Hara said. 

"Hara, you have to keep trying! We don't have time for the spirit water" Hong-Ra shouted. 

"I am! On top of the many broken bones and cuts she has suffered a significant head injury. She needs to go to a hospital immediately," Hara replied.

Mae-Lin tried with all her might to hear the words they were saying but there was nothing. All she could see was Hara shouting at Hong-Ra. No sound can be heard from her lips. Mae-Lin could not even hear a ringing in her ear. All around her there was silence. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mae-Lin awoke to a pricking on her right arm. As her eyes came into focus she could see that Hara had been adjusting an IV in her arm. 

"She's awake!" Hara exclaimed. 

Mae-Lin's eyes glanced around the room and saw that it was quite packed. Hong-Ra had suddenly rose out of his seat by the window in her room. Zylon was seated by the window and next to her on her left, fast asleep. Mae-Lin's parents were on her right. Her mother held her right hand in a tight squeeze while her father had his hand on her mother's shoulder. Her parents had obvious signs of some minor injuries, but at least they made it out alive. Mae-Lin had thought the tornado had killed them as it almost did her. 

"Sweetheart can you hear us?" her mother asked.

Mae-Lin's eyes were still coming into focus and she could not make out the words that her mother had just tried to speak to her. She shot them a look of confusion which gave them the answer they needed.

"You said you would be able to fix this," said her father Jian to Hara. 

"I said I may be able to fix it," Hara said, finishing adjusting the IV. "I told you there was a chance we did not administer the spirit water in time."

"So what does this mean?" asked her mother. 

"We won't know for a few days. It's possible that she could regain some hearing in her left ear with continued healing treatments and surgery. It's treatable. Her ability to gain hearing in her right ear is unknown," said Hara. She grabbed the chair Hong-Ra was no longer using and placed it front of her parents "We won't know until she heals and we run some hearing tests. For now we have to wait and see since there was significant head trauma. She needs her rest."

Mae-Lin tried and tried to hear what they were saying, but all she heard was silence. As she tried to turn her head towards her parents to attempt to make out what they were saying, a sharp pain raced from her right ear down to her neck. A loud, harsh scream escaped from her lips, startling Zylon but not waking him. Hara immediately rushed in front of her face and met her gaze. 

"Can you read my lips?" Hara said, slowly. 

"Kinda," Mae-Lin answered through pain. 

"I need you to keep your head still. Try not to move it," said Hara.

"You got it," Mae-Lin responded. "What's going on?" 

"We are trying to figure that out. Don't you worry about that right now. You need your rest," replied Hara. "I am going to give you some medicine for the pain."

Within seconds Mae-Lin began to drift back into a deep sleep. She began to wonder if she would ever be able to hear her mothers singing voice again. Listen to her pigs waking her up in the morning. Her thoughts began to wonder as everything returned to dark and she fell back asleep.

Gema released her grip on her daughters hand and fell into her husband's arms. Jian held her tight and rubbed her back as a sign of comfort. After the short embrace, their attention turned to the now awake Zylon.

"Zylon, you are awake!" said Jema.

"What did I miss?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

All eyes were on him like a spotlight. Zylon's look of confusion intensified as sweat began to form on his forehead. 

"I will let you have the room. Feel free to use the call button if she wakes again," said Hara. 

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" asked Zylon. 

Jian and Gema both were at a loss for words. Hong-Ra's booming voice broke the silence. 

"She still can't hear us. We won't know more until they run some tests," he said.

"I thought they healed her!" Zylon shouted.

"She suffered a serious head injury among many others. It's going to take more than just one healing session for her body to recover," Hong-Ra replied. 

"That's crazy. Doesn't anyone know how to heal around here!" Zylon shouted, rising from his seat.

"Zylon, take a breath," Jian said. "The past 24 hours have been a bit rough. Just take it easy."

"How can I take it easy when my best friend is in a hospital bed and my brother is dead!" Zylon shouted. 

Tears began to form in his eyes. Zylon wiped them away before they could fall down his cheeks.

"I should have been there! I should have helped my brother! I should have stopped Mae-Lin from making this horrible mistake. I let her go," he stated.

"Zylon no one is blaming you for what happened," said Jema. "Mae-Lin made a decision. She was going to do what she did whether you supported her or not."

"But my brother-"

"Your brother fought bravely. He saved many lives. You should be proud of him," Gema said, walking over to him. "What happened was out of your control. No one knew they were coming. We had no time to prepare. I know you are hurt and you are angry. We all are."

Gema pulled him into a tight hug. Zylon buried his head into her shoulder and began to weep loudly. Jian stood next to his wife and placed his hand on Zylon's shoulder for a brief moment before turning to speak to Hong-Ra.

"What now?" he asked.

"The White Lotus is meeting tomorrow to determine the next steps," Hong-Ra replied.

"Do you think The Resistance know who she is?" Jian asked. 

"It's hard to tell. Luckily the only bending I saw your daughter do was earth bending so she shouldn't raise too much suspicion." 

As Gema continued to calm Zylon down, Jian glanced over at his daughter. He gripped the end of her bed so hard that his knuckles showed white. 

"I feared the day something like this would happen. Ever since we knew she was the Avatar I knew that she would be put in compromising situations where she could get seriously hurt. I just never thought that it would come so soon," he said, choking back tears. 

Hong-Ra joined Jian at the end of Mae-Lin's bed. He tapped his hand on Jian's briefly as a sign of comfort. 

"She's strong Jian. Any ordinary person would have easily succumbed to those injuries. She will make it out of this."

Jian's shoulders slumped into a relaxed state at the sound of Hong-Ra's words. He turned his head to face his wife, but with met with Zylon's gaze instead. Zylon had composed himself from his fit of anger to speak to Jian. 

"Mr. Lee. I promise I will never let anything like this happen again," Zylon said. 

"Zylon-"

"I'm serious sir. She's my best friend and the Avatar. I vow that I will protect her at all costs. Whatever it takes. I will lay down my life for her as she almost did for our village."

Jian met him with a strong embrace and took his word for what it was. Zylon knew that in that moment that Mae-Lin was more than just a friend to him. She was like family. He cared about her more than he cared about some of his own family. He wasn't lying when he said he would lay down his life for her. He will protect her at all costs. 

Whatever it takes. 


	2. Team Avatar Returns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time jump ahead! This is where the bulk of our story will take place time wise. Previous chapter was to set the stage for what's to come. Don't forget the first chapter though...many details/events are important as the story progresses.  
> I don't know how writing intros work...so here is Chapter 2!

*6 years later, 260 AG*

"Mama I got you!" shouted Oomi as she tackled Mae-Lin to the ground.

"Oh no not again! I thought I had you this time!" laughed Mae-Lin. 

Mae-Lin then wrestled over and began tickling her daughter. Oomi's blue eyes were squeezed shut and her curly, long brown hair lay spread out over the grass. 

"No Momma! Stop! That tickles!" she shouted. 

"That's the point my little nugget!" she responded. 

Oomi began tickling her mom around her head when she was quickly stopped.

"What did I say about touching Mama's face?" Mae-Lin asked.

"Sorry Mama," she replied.

"It's ok nugget. You know Mama's ears are special. You have to remember Mama has her helpers and if you break them I can't hear you," Mae-Lin responded.

"I forgot," she said back, wrapping her arms around for a hug.

Just then a member of the White Lotus appeared. 

"Sorry to interrupt Avatar, but your friends are set to arrive in a few minutes from the ferry," he said.

"Oomi, it's time for me to see my friends," she said as she tried to peel Oomi off her body.

"Finally! It's only been foreva," she exclaimed.

"Oomi, you've seen Auntie Mya many times and Kuza and Sheng have made a few visits when you were very little. It hasn't been forever."

"It sure feels like it!"

Mae-Lin shook her head. She was amazed in how much personality can fit into an almost 3 year old. 

"Oomi, you are just going to have to wait a little bit longer. I need you to go with-" 

Mae-Lin suddenly forgot the name of the man standing right in front of her. They have had a lot of new recruits lately and names are always escaping her brain. 

"Pachu"

"Pachu and wash up for lunch," said Mae-Lin.

"But Mama-"

"Ah no buts! You will have plenty of time to talk their ears off at lunch," Mae-Lin said, turning her around to follow Pachu. 

In the distance Mae-Lin could see a ferry approaching. On it were her greatest friends from the Academy who she convinced to join her in her fight to end The Resistance. She needed a core group, her Team Avatar, to help her finally defeat this group responsible for the destruction of her village 6 years ago. 

As she made her way to the dock she began to feel nervous about seeing her friends after so many years. She hadn't seen most of them since Oomi was born. She began to fret and overthink how they must think of her after not staying in touch with them as much as she liked. The reasons behind it were complicating, and she hoped to explain it all once they settled in on Air Temple Island. 

At last the ferry with her friends approached the dock, and before the crew could secure the boat, her friends were already rushing off to greet her. 

Mya was the first to leave off the boat. While it was quite cool outside, she was still only wearing a blue tank with light brown capris. Mae-Lin could never understand how people from the Water Tribes could wear such little clothing when its cold outside. Mya sprinted over to give Mae-Lin a long awaited hug.

"It's been too long Mae-Lin! Too Long!" she shouted as she held her friend close. Mae-Lin returned the hug and felt another set of arms join in. 

"Yeah way too long," said Kuza as he tugged a little harder on the two. His spikey black hair poked the side of her face and he continued a firm hold. A flash of red from Kuza's t shirt covered Mae-Lin's view as she turned to Sheng who was a good 5 ft away from the rest of the group. He wore the traditional Air Nomad outfit that was absolutely spotless and showed no sign of a long journey. Sheng's large grey glasses slid off his narrow face, prompting him to push them back up with his delicate fingers. 

"Sheng, I know that physical contact isn't your thing, but would you please humor me and join the group hug?" Mae-Lin asked.

Sheng shrugged his shoulders and sighed. He had no choice but to join his friends in a long awaited group hug. Kuza's grip on him smashed his glasses into his face, causing a red mark one the hug broke up. 

"Alright Team Avatar is back together again!" shouted Kuza throwing his arm into the air. The energetic, fun loving Kuza from the Fire Nation never failed to exclaim the groups name proudly. 

"Not everyone is here Kuza. Zylon is....hey where is Zylon?" Sheng asked. 

"He's working. He wasn't able to get off today," Mae-Lin replied.

"What Sergeant Zylon couldn't get the day off from the United Forces to reunite with his friends?" asked Kuza. 

"He's actually a Staff Sergeant now and no. He tried. Apparently he's needed to help train the new privates. He should be here by dinner time though," replied Mae-Lin. 

"Speaking of food I'm starving. Is lunch anytime soon?" asked Kuza.

"Oh Kuza. Never will you fail to mention food at any given moment," said Mya.

"What? It's lunchtime and I'm starving!" he replied. 

"Well let's get your things to your rooms and head over to the dining hall for lunch," Mae-Lin said.

"The dining hall?" asked Kuza.

"Yes the Air Temple has quite an impressive dining facility on its campus. One I am happy to visit again after many years," said Sheng.

"Thanks Mr. Airbender know-it-all," said Kuza.

"Kuza he's an airbender, did you think he didn't know the layout of one of the air temples?" said Mya.

"Alright guys I can tell you are all getting a little hangry. Looks like your bags are finished being unloaded by the crew," said Mae-Lin. 

A small pile of bags lay on the dock, with most belonging to Kuza. He always packed more than what he needed, as he always felt "you can never been too prepared". As Mae-Lin examined the luggage she couldn't help but notice that something...no someone was missing.

"Hey Sheng, where's Ping?" Mae-Lin asked.

"Ah yes my trusty flying bison. He flew over to the island before I took the ferry. I was going to simply fly over," he said looking over at Kuza and Mya, "but I was told to ride the ferry instead." 

"You have to make an entrance!" shouted Kuza.

"Well now that everyone is accounted for, let's head up to the main living quarters," said Mae-Lin.

Team Avatar made a short ascent to the courtyard where they were greeted by a very tall, very large airbender. His muscles popped through his air bending suit with extreme definition. He looked like he could easily kill someone with one swift punch to the head. Even with his tough exterior he had a large welcoming smile on his face. 

"Greetings Team Avatar! Welcome to Air Temple Island," he said.

"R3 are you the welcoming committee now?" asked Mae-Lin. 

"R3? What kind of name is that?!" exclaimed Kuza.

"It's a nickname. I am Rohan the third. Everyone says that's too long to say so they shortened it to R3. Well by everyone I mean my siblings and cousins."

"And me!" pipped Mae-Lin. 

R3 laughed and shook his head. 

"Anyway, like I said. Welcome to Air Temple Island. I will be leading the boys to their side of the living quarters and my cousin Ikki should be here to-"

"I'm here, I'm here!" said Ikki, running in with her dark brown hair out of sorts. 

"Wait, I thought Ikki was...ahem...dead?" said Kuza.

"Kuza!" shouted Mya.

"What! She is!" replied Kuza.

"It's alright! She lived a very long life. You are thinking of my grandmother. I am the younger Ikki," she said. 

"Oh that makes more sense," said Kuza.

"But she sure does act like her grandmother," said R3 under his breath.

"I heard that!" she yelled to R3. "And yes I am a lot like my grandmother and I am PROUD to say that and bear her name. You should understand Rohan the THIRD". 

R3 rolled his eyes with such intensity it looked like they may fall out of his head.

"Just...show Mya where the girls quarters are. Please," he said with a sigh.

The group separated into their assigned sides as they discovered their new arrangements for the time being.

"Ikki I can show Mya her room. I honestly don't know why R3 had you come," said Mae-Lin.

"Tell me about it. You know R3. He's always got to be in charge and boss people around" said Ikki. "Anyway, your room is down there. Mae-Lin can show you. Lunch is in a half hour. See you in the dining hall!" 

Ikki sped away quickly out of sight.

 _"This place is beautiful,"_ signed Mya. Mae-Lin was amazed that Mya still knew how to communicate in sign language. _"I can see why you decided to stay here for the past 3 years."_

"You know you don't have to sign anymore. I can hear you now," said Mae-Lin.

"I know, but you said yourself that it's easier for you communicate," said Mya. 

As they entered the room Mae-Lin took her hearing aids out and placed them in her pocket. Mya was right. It was easier to communicate. When she first had her injury she could still speak, but she had no way of understanding the world around her. She eventually regained some hearing in her left ear but her right ear was left permanently damaged. While she began her healing process she knew that she needed a way to communicate. Fortunately one of her doctors who had a family member who was deaf began teaching her sign language for basic signs. Soon with some great teachers she was able to learn enough to become fluent. Even with the use of an implant on her right ear and a hearing aid on her left ear she is able to hear, however when she takes them off she is completely deaf in her right ear and is quite limited in her left ear. 

_"It feels nice to tune the world out when I don't have these in,"_ signed Mae-Lin. 

_"I think it's a beautiful way to communicate. It's accessible,"_ Mya signed back. _"I still can't believe such a beautiful place is only a small boat ride away from Republic City."_

 _"It's a nice little oasis away from the hustle and bustle of Republic City but close enough where if any Avatar related problem arises I am a quick eel hound ride away,"_ said Mae-Lin. 

_"Speaking of how is that eel hound of yours? What's his name...Greenie?"_

_"Yes that's his name. I guess that's what I get for letting Oomi name him."_

_"So he's fully trained now?"_

_"Yep. About a few months ago he was officially allowed for be in my full control."_

_"Meaning..."_

_"That I no longer have to listen to his trainers. I've finally been taught all there is to know about him. Or so I think."_

Mya let off a small smile as she began to unpack her items into her room. It was small and simple. A small bed sat snug against the right side of the room with a small bedside table next to it. A large orange area rug covered most of the wooden floor. Mya tucked her loose brown braids behind her shoulders as she quickly began to fill the area rug with all her healing instruments as she began to unpack her supplies.

 _"Are you sure you don't need my help?"_ asked Mae-Lin. _"Anything for the 'child prodigy' of healing"._

Mya gave her a soul starring look.

 _"I'm no longer considered a child, you can stop calling me that."_ Mya signed as she continued to lay out her tools. " _I would rather do this myself anyway. I don't want to misplace anything. I have to figure out which things I am to leave in your healing hut and which one's I am to leave in my room."_

_"Healing hut?"_

_"Wait, you don't have a healing hut here?"_

_"I mean we have a small first aid room for the daycare.....but besides that no."_

Mya shook her head. 

_"How do you not have a healing hut?"_ Mya asked.

 _"Mya this is an air temple, not the Northern Water Tribe,"_ Mae-Lin responded.

_"I had a feeling this may happen. I should have asked ahead of time if you had a space for me. I just assumed-"_

_"No it's my fault I should have known."_ said Mae-Lin. _"I'll talk to Rohan and see if we can spare a room to turn into a healing hut-room."_

_"Well there's no need to continue unpacking until I know for sure where I will put it, but since we still have some time to kill, let's talk."_

Mae-Lin joined Mya on the floor.

 _"So what do you wanna know?"_ Mae-Lin asked.

 _"How are you doing?"_ Mya asked back.

_"Really? I haven't seen you in almost a year let alone spoken to you in three months and that's the question you ask?"_

_"Mae I could ask you any question under the sun about what you have been up to and how things have been going in Republic City but I really want to know how you are doing. I know that Oomi's birthday is in a few days and how-"_

_"Look I am fully aware that her birthday is in a few days,"_ Mae-Lin said, cutting Mya off. _"Trust me Oomi won't stop talking about it."_

_"That's not my point and you know it."_

Mya reached over to grab Mae-Lin's hand. She looked at her with a sense of concern. 

_"I know how hard her birthday is for you. I just wanted to make sure you are doing okay."_

_"I know you have every reason to be concerned, but trust me this year is a lot better than years past. I have you guys here and I don't feel so alone working through my feelings this time around."_

Mya let go of Mae-Lin's hand and reached over for a short embrace, resting her head on Mae-Lin's shoulder.

_"You are one of my closest friends. When that jerk decided to run when he found out he was going to be a teenage father I wanted to rip his head off," Mya said._

_"Trust me, I wanted to too. Many times,"_ Mae-Lin replied. 

_"Well Kuza definitely got enough shots in before he could get away."_

_"He did?"_ Mae-Lin said, pulling away.

 _"I never told you? Huh I guess I didn't,"_ Mya said, putting her hand on her chin.

_"What did he do?"_

_"Roughed him up quite a bit. No one tells the story better than him. You should ask him. He LOVES telling it."_

_"That actually might make me feel a little better about it. I would love to see a Kuza rendition of what happened."_

_"Get ready. If available he uses props and other actors."_

_"I can't wait."_

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So he walks in right all 'I'm Mr. I-Own-the-Place' like he doesn't even care about the decisions he made" said Kuza in the middle of his reenactment of the beatdown. While it was quite dark outside, his amber eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as he continued to set up the scene before their eyes. Mae-Lin, Mya, and Zylon were all huddled around a small campfire while Sheng and Kuza reenacted the scene. Sheng wasn't too happy Kuza chose him to play Yuka, but at that point he had no choice. 

"Come on Sheng you gotta follow my dialogue!" he shouted.

"I don't even know how one walks into a room like that," he replied. 

"Just walk in like one of the Pro-benders you see on TV." 

"I don't watch TV Kuza."

"JUST WALK IN ALL TOUGH LOOKING!"

Sheng did his best impression, but it looked extremely awkward.

"Why didn't you pick Zylon for this? I have no idea what I am doing," Sheng said as he tried to adjust his body positioning.

"Because Zylon worked all day. And I am kind of scared in the event I accidentally get to carried away that Zylon may kill me."

Zylon let out a big booming laugh. Kuza was right. Zylon could easily inflict a lot of damage on Kuza. While Kuza was as tall as Zylon, he didn't have much muscle on him. 

"Just follow my lead Sheng. I'm the important one in the story anyway," he said.

Everyone rolled their eyes and laughed. The campfire had begun to die down, and Mae-Lin added another log and a shot of fire to boost it back up to its original flame. 

"So what happened once you spotted him?" asked Mae-Lin.

"I walked right up to him and looked him in the eye and said, 'You have some nerve showing your face around here, Yuka'."

He got up in Sheng's face with a pointed finger. "What you did is what a coward does."

"Then what?" Mae-Lin asked.

"Just let me finish! Stop interrupting!" exclaimed Kuza, stomping his feet into the ground. By now his black pants that were pulled up to his knees had fallen back down to his ankles, stopping short of his slip on grey sneakers. "Damn!" he shouted as he tried to pull them back up, but they drifted slid back down. 

Mae-Lin knew that she should keep quiet and let Kuza tell the story, but it was fun to push his buttons a little bit especially when he was a bit angry.

"Then Yuka said, 'What are you gonna do about it?'," said Kuza, glancing at Sheng.

"What are you gonna do about it," said Sheng, flatly.

"I'm gonna do this!" 

Kuza then fake kicked Sheng in the groin area.

"Sheng, you are supposed to fall down. I just hit you where the sun don't shine," whispered Kuza into Sheng's ear.

"Oh right. Ah Ow!" shouted Sheng. He fell slowly to the ground while Kuza began to repeatedly fake punch and kick Sheng until Mya had to come in and pretend to break up the fight.

"Yeah Mya way to get into character!" shouted Kuza. "That's exactly what you did when it actually happened!" 

"I mainly stopped because you looked ridiculous. And the fight only lasted a good minute before other students began to break you up," Mya said.

"Yeah but I got a couple good shots in on him," said Kuza proudly, placing his hand on his hips. 

"You really did though. While I am a pacifist, I do have to say Yama had what was coming. I'm honestly surprised it wasn't Zylon landing the blows," said Sheng.

"Trust me I wish I could have too, but I was weeks away from finding out if my application for the United Forces was approved and I didn't want some looser to screw that up," replied Zylon. 

"Well it makes me happy that you guys were there to back me up. Thanks," said Mae-Lin.

"No problem Avatar!" said Kuza, giving Mae-Lin a thumbs up. 

"I really mean it. Although I didn't show it, I appreciated how you guys were there for me when I was so confused as to what to do. When I found out I was pregnant with Oomi I escaped from the Academy. I was afraid, being a mom so young and the judgment that would be cast from our schoolmates. You guys supported me and were there for me in ways I couldn't be there for myself. It was then I realized you guys were my friends for life and my Team Avatar," said Mae-Lin.

"Of course we would be there for you! We made a promise when you told us only a few months before he dropped off the face of the planet that we would protect you at all costs," said Kuza.

"Kuza's right. We held our end of the pact we made those many years ago. We are always here for you and ready to help you at the drop of a hat," said Sheng.

"Yeah but couldn't it have waited two more months? I was two months, two months away from graduating the Fire Navy Boot Camp!" exclaimed Kuza.

"I know, I know. I pulled you all away at a bad time. But the situation with The Resistance was growing more serious by the day and I needed you guys ASAP to help me come up with a plan of action," Mae-Lin replied. 

"So what is the plan?" asked Sheng.

Everyone's eyes were on Mae-Lin, including Zylon. Zylon knew firsthand what was going on with the Resistance. They were growing stronger by the day and had even attacked a few United Republic villages on the outskirts of the nation. The Resistance weren't just some group of thugs who terrorized villages anymore. They were now bigger, stronger, more organized, and maintaining control of various villages within the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, and United Republic. Their leader, Liang, had somehow managed to grow his numbers despite a lack of using modern technology to recruit members and control them. 

"Honestly, there is no real plan. I have been in constant contact with the Firelord, The United Republic's president, and the Earth Confederation president. No one seems to know what to do at this point," said Mae-Lin. 

"What do you mean no one seems to know what to do? Shouldn't we just take back those villages that The Resistance has control over?" said Kuza.

"If only it were that simple. That's what I posed, but it didn't garner enough support. The point they made is that they don't know how big The Resistance has become and if they send a small group of fighters to take back a village, they could be outnumbered if they don't have the correct intelligence," said Mae-Lin.

"The problem is due to the group's lack of modern technology usage, we can't pinpoint how many people have been drawn in and recruited," said Zylon. "They don't use radio or telephone. They don't even use a computer based system. There seems to be some system, some secret network that is recruiting more and more members. They aren't just a group of former and escaped convicts. There are real everyday people that somehow got sucked into their lies that they want equality for all where in reality all they bring is destruction and pain. Man if I ever met one of those thugs I would-"

Zylon paused. It was dark, but Mae-Lin could see he was fighting back tears. Mae-Lin knew how personal this was for Zylon. It's been 6 years since he lost his brother, and his final memories of him were some he would like to forget. Zylon wiped his tears away on his sweatshirt, leaving a brief tear stain. He traced his fingers through his hair, now short into a military style fade since joining the United Forces, before continuing. 

"Let's just say, I want these low-lives dismantled as soon as possible," said Zylon, wiping another tear from his face. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Everyone was sound asleep except for Mae-Lin. She was excited, no doubt, that she had her friends back in her life again, but with them here brought a lot of unknown. How would they defeat The Resistance? There is so much to be known about a group that cares only about their agenda and eliminating anyone who gets in their way. 

Mae-Lin turned over for what seemed like the hundreth time. She pulled her covers over her face, hoping some of the weight of her comforter would calm her mind. It was the middle of the night and she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Her brain just could not shut off. 

"Let me try a nightime meditation, those almost always work," she said to herself.

Mae-Lin lay flat on her back and relaxed her muscles. She slowly felt her shoulders, back, arms, and the rest of her body down to her toes suddenly relax. She focused on her breathing, just her breathing. She focused her mind on the rising and falling of her breath within her. Finally, she felt her eyes become heavy as she drifted off to sleep.....

________________________________________________________________________________

_It was so dark that she couldn't see anything. Mae-Lin crept her way around a darkened hallway, hoping to find something, anything that indicated to her as to where she was. Mae-Lin tried to fire bend a small flame so she could see, but she couldn't. In fact none of her bending worked. She felt around walls to find a door knob to a room that may have some light. Nothing. Suddenly a dark figure seemed to appear behind her. She could feel their hot breath on her neck._

_"Who's there?" she yelled._

_She turned around quickly and tried to punch in the direction of the figure, but it was gone. She tried to bend again to no avail._

_"I'm right behind you," said the voice._

_She quickly turned around to the sound of the voice. A voice she's heard before._

_"What do you want?" she asked, fear trembling from her voice._

_The figure said nothing and shifted closer to her. She could feel his hot breath on her neck yet again. He whispered into her ears, but all she could feel was his breath tickling them._ _Just then the figure grabbed her arm and she felt herself being rushed down the darkened hallway._

_"Please, let me go! Let me go!" she shouted._

_She tried to dig her feet into the ground to slow them down to no avail. Suddenly they stopped and she felt the figure let go of her hand._

_"Who...who are you?" she asked, even though she knew the answer._

_"I'm your worst nightmare."_

_Suddenly his face appeared. A face she could never forget. His tanned skin. Dark piercing bright blue eyes cut into her being with pain. His crooked smile that said more words by doing nothing. His large strong hand forcefully grasped her face._ _Mae-Lin screamed out for help while his terrifying laugh filled her ears. His hand covered her mouth and she felt the air escape from her lungs._

_"You thought that having that kid would keep us together? You thought that I would stay?"_

_Mae-Lin tried to speak, but his hand still had a firm grip across her mouth._

_"I wanted nothing to do with you and that kid."_

Mae-Lin then jolted awake, sitting up in her bed. Her face was drenched in sweat, like she had just taken a shower. Her blankets lay tossed about in her bed, some landed on the floor along with a few of her pillows. Greenie's head jolted up from his resting place. He shifted himself towards the bed and rested his head on her lap. Mae-Lin patted his head. 

"It was just a dream Greenie. It's alright," she said as she stroked his head. 

While nightmare was over, her heart still pounded with intensity, as if a thunderstorm was bursting out of her chest. She rested her head in one of her hands.

"Not...him. Not again," she said to herself.

Mae-Lin rubbed her temples as her breathing returned to normal. She shifted her body so her feet to hung off the bed. Greenie shifted his body to allow her to place her feet on the floor. The exposed floor was cold on her bare feet, sending a shiver down her spine. 

Mae-Lin rose to collect the blankets and pillows that had fallen to the floor. She placed them on her bed, debating whether to attempt to fall back asleep. She gazed out her window to see that the early morning sky colors began to illuminate the sky. The cool breeze blew into her face, offering her some peace. 

"I think I will head to the duck pond for some meditation into the spirit world. It may help me relax and calm my mind," she said to herself. 

Mae-Lin changed out of her pajamas into her usual outfit of a loose fitting hunter green tank, cropped brown leggings that rested just below her knees and white high top sneakers. It didn't make sense for an earthbending Avatar to have white shoes, but Mae-Lin liked how comfortable they were. Plus she scrubbed them clean almost everyday. She liked to keep things neat and orderly. 

Mae-Lin grabbed her hand wraps off her dresser and began to assemble them onto her hands and wrists, finishing the wrap halfway up her forearm. She wrapped tight around her well defined muscles in her arms, as wrapping them too loosely caused them to fall off. She bent her metal bracelets around her upper arm, clasping them secure just below her deltoids. She threw her necklace over head that her mother gave her with a pendant with Oomi's initials on them, OL, and a worn, silver key. Mae-Lin erased any evidence of bed head by running her fingers through her long, thick, curly hair. She placed a multi-shaded thick green headband in her hair, tying a knot in the front. The headband kept her hair off her ears which sometimes experienced feedback when it brushed against her hearing aids. 

At last she placed her hearing aids on her ears and turned on the sounds of the world. While the hearing aids weren't the same as her natural hearing, it offered a somewhat return the way things used to be before she lost her hearing. She could hear the gentle breeze on the trees outside her window and the birds chirping, both sounds she missed before she regained some of her hearing. 

A small breeze traveled through the room, sending a shiver down Mae-Lin's spine. She grabbed a brown cardigan hanging on the edge of her bed and put it on. While it hung loose and was quite worn, it offered her a piece of comfort as it was a garment from home. It kept her warm and made her feel safe. Mae-Lin took a deep breath as she exited her room, Greenie in tow. She needed this meditation more than she thought. A trip to the spirit world may be what she really needs to find some clarity after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We see more "Team Avatar" interaction next chapter. I am enjoying writing and developing these characters!


	3. The Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Mae-Lin has some unresolved feelings to work through....let's see how she does with those moving forward.

Mae-Lin sat at the Turtle Duck Pond on a bench, drinking a cup of Jasmine Tea. While the tea calmed her, she knew that the nightmare she had would linger in the back of her mind, haunting her thoughts. While her eyelids lay heavy and she could really benefit from a few more hours of rest, she knew that she would not be able to sleep comfortably. These dreams always seemed to happen at unexpected times. She thought that these dreams would stop eventually, but they still continued to torment her subconscious. 

Greenie let out a loud yawn as he stretched out his long legs. He readjusted his position next to Mae-Lin before laying down. His head was within reach for Mae-Lin to give him a well deserved scratch on the base of his neck, his favorite spot. He let out a couple groans of contentment before he settled into sleep. Mae-Lin readjusted her cardigan to cover her body as the cool breeze began to pick up. It was unusually cool in the morning, as it was deep into the spring months. The tea helped to warm her body while also calming her spirit as she began to prepare herself for a meditation. 

Just then Mae-Lin heard footsteps approach the pond. She turned her gaze to find Sheng standing nearby, a cup of tea in hand.

"Getting in a cup in before breakfast?" he asked.

Mae-Lin shifted her body to allow more space on the bench. Sheng took this as an invitation to join her. His body barely covered the space the Mae-Lin left for him. While he is a bit on the smaller side, he is quite strong. His small, tight muscles revealed themselves through his loose fitting clothing. He had the classic airbender haircut, a clean shaven head, however he showcased a bit of facial hair on his upper lip and chin. His blue airbending tattoos contrasted deeply with his black facial hair and grey eyes. His gentle hands grasped his tea cup ever so slightly, almost as if he wasn't even holding it. 

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, taking a sip.

"Nah I just wanted to get a meditation in," she said back.

"Liar. You hate getting up early," he snapped back.

"You know me too well," she said, taking a sip of tea. "How did you know I was here?" 

"I had just finished my early morning meditation and wanted to have a cup before breakfast. I saw you walk out of the kitchenette with a cup and figured you would be around somewhere," he said shifting his body towards hers. "Thanks for brewing extra Jasmine. It's my favorite!" he said with a smile.

"I figured someone would be in soon for a cup and the tea pot really makes enough tea for two," she replied.

"You never answered my question," he said pointedly. "Why are you up?"

Sheng can almost always see through lies. There was no use in trying bend the truth to Sheng, she had to tell him what was really going on. 

"He was in my dream last night," she said, hanging her head down low.

"Who, Yuka?" he answered.

Mae-Lin slowly nodded her head in disappointment.

"Have you had this dream before?" he asked.

"Yes. It varies each time, but in the end it's the same."

"Meaning?"

"Yuka tells me that he wants nothing to do with me and Oomi."

"Sounds like you are having a hard time of letting that go."

Mae-Lin shot an angered glance at Sheng. 

"What do you mean?" she said through her teeth. 

"Usually when you have a reoccurring dream about something that happened it means you are having a hard time letting it go."

"I can figure that much."

"Do you want it to keep happening?"

"No! Why would I want Yuka to keep tormenting my dreams?"

Sheng kept his composure as Mae-Lin snapped harshly at him. He adjusted his glasses while preceding to take another small sip before continuing on. 

"Of course you don't want the dream to continue, I just needed to hear you confirm it," he said. 

His eyes pierced through his thick grey frames, making contact with hers again.

"Have you spoken to anyone about these dreams?" he asked.

"What do you mean by anyone?" Mae-Lin replied 

"I mean someone who can talk you through these dreams you are having. Someone who can help you move forward."

"You mean like a therapist?"

"Is that what they call them? In my culture when we have these problems we usually go to gurus."

"Well in this day and age that's what they are called."

"So...have you?"

Mae-Lin's body fell.

"No," she replied softly. 

"And why is that?" questioned Sheng. 

"I don't know Sheng? I was kinda busy trying to raise a kid and be the Avatar that I really didn't have time to spill my secrets to some shrink!" exclaimed Mae-Lin. 

Sheng brushed off her statement and continued, "One must never neglect the mind. It is important to keep our body, our temple in good condition, but we humans often neglect how important it is to take care of the mind."

"What guru was that taken from Sheng?" Mae-Lin asked snarkily. 

"No one specific. Just something I follow," Sheng said. "I am serious when I say how important it is. I know that we haven't spoken for a while, but I can tell how much this still eats away at you from the inside. I can't ever understand what you went through, but you need to move forward for your sake. You must not let him rule your life."

Mae-Lin sighed. He was right. This fear of abandonment had control of her life for the last 3 years. She suppressed it and hid it from many. She had other things to worry about. Mastering the elements. Gaining full control of the Avatar State. Maintaining balance. She can't do all of these things if she is still running from the fear of someone she cares about suddenly leaving her. 

"The sun is coming up, how about you join me for a meditation before breakfast," he suggested.

"I was actually going to meditate into the spirit world," she responded. "and I thought you already meditated this morning."

"An airbender can never meditate too many times in one day," he replied. "Besides it would be fun to join you in the spirit world."

"You can meditate into the spirit world?" 

"Yes. Gained the ability 2 years ago."

"Wow! It has been quite some time since we talked. I look forward to sharing this experience with you." 

They both smiled at each other as they transitioned to the grass and tried to escape the current world as they knew it for a few moments into a deep and relaxing meditation. 

Mae-Lin was just finishing her breath control when she felt a tapping on her shoulder. 

"Mama, Mama, Mama! Look! I taught Quack a new trick!" said Oomi, breaking Mae-Lin's concentration on her meditation. 

"Oomi, can't you see Mama's a little busy?" said Mae-Lin, her eyes still closed. "What are you doing up?"

"I was jus so excited Mama! " Oomi responded. "I jus got Quack to do dis trick!" 

"Quack?" asked Sheng, quietly under his breath. He let out a small chuckle as his concentration broke. 

Mae-Lin opened her eyes to see Oomi holding Quack, a turtle duck, proudly in her arms. This turtle duck has been glued to Oomi's side since last year. Mae-Lin made the mistake of allowing Oomi to see the turtle duck chicks that had been born. Oomi had become immediately attached to one and even though Mae-Lin insisted that the turtle duck had to stay with its family, Oomi wouldn't have it. 

"What's the trick Oomi?" asked Mae-Lin opening her eyes. 

"Jus watch!" said Oomi. 

"She taught it tricks?" asked Sheng.

"It keeps her busy," replied Mae-Lin.

"Seeing you as a mom has been....interesting," said Sheng, raising his eyebrows.

"You are about to see a whole new side of me with this one," said Mae-Lin with a laugh.

Oomi placed Quack on the ground and commanded him to "Sit". Quack squatted down while muttering a quiet "quack". 

"Good boy Quack" said Oomi, tossing Quack a treat. "Quack, Stay!"

Oomi gently tip-toed backwards, as if she was on a tightrope. Quack didn't move and awaited the next command from his master. 

"Quack, come!" shouted Oomi.

Quack's little legs moved with great speed for a turtle duck. His loud quacks filled the ears of those around him as he picked up his speed. Just before he got to Oomi, he stopped suddenly. His little eyes gazed up at Oomi's smiling face, waiting for reassurance for his successful trick he completed. 

"Good boy Quack!" said Oomi, giving him another treat and patting his head.

"Wow that's a neat trick Oomi. Keep it up and you'll have him doing all kinds of tricks!" said Mae-Lin. "Now let's go wash up for breakfast."

"Okay Mama!" said Oomi, rushing off from the duck pond with Quack in tow.

"Remember, no Quack at breakfast!" Mae-Lin shouted from afar.

Oomi flashed a thumbs up sign as she continued off, shortly running out of their view. 

"Aren't you going to uh, follow her?" said Sheng.

"She knows the drill. She's quite independent. Plus there's always someone around making sure the kids are where they need to be. I'll see her soon at the dining hall," said Mae-Lin. 

Sheng shrugged his shoulders. He rose up from the ground and collected both his and Mae-Lin's tea cups. "I'll take these back to the kitchenette. See you at breakfast," he said.

Before Mae-Lin could offer her gratitude for the kind gesture, he was already on his way to return the cups. Mae-Lin took the time she had to herself to sort through her thoughts. She had to figure out how she was going to tell her friends that they needed to come up with a plan today. All the world leaders were planning on coming to Air Temple Island tomorrow to go over the plan they trusted her with arranging. The brief chat last night wasn't just just a brainstorm session. She needed ideas for what to do next. The world leaders have been pressuring her for weeks with details of a plan and she had gotten almost no where. Everything she poses has been shot down almost immediately. All of her many years of preparation in how to handle world affairs has seemed to go completely down the drain. She needed her friends now more than ever to solve this ongoing issue. 

It was a lot to ask a 20-year-old to come up with a plan so important. For the past few months Mae-Lin served as an informant, sitting in on meetings as a courtesy to her role in the world. Recently Mae-Lin had been pressured into taking a larger role given the current nature of the world. In all honestly, no one knew what to do. The Resistance has done such a good job with flying under the radar, it was almost impossible to know what they were truly capable of. 

As Mae-Lin took Greenie to where the sky bison were kept, she replayed over and over in her head how she was to break the news. She knew her friends wouldn't be thrilled to surprise them with something so big, but she needed to tell them now so that they could begin to plan. 

"Saved you a spot Avatar!" shouted Kuza as Mae-Lin entered the dining hall. Kuza waved his thin arms in the air to gain her attention. Mae-Lin couldn't help but notice that Kuza was wearing a fire navy t shirt. While Kuza didn't get to complete his training, he was still proud to wear his pride for his country's navy. 

"Kuza, of course we saved a spot for her. I also think you can call her by her real name," said Mya. 

"Thank you Kuza for saving me a seat," laughed Mae-Lin. "I see a special guest is with you. Why aren't you sitting with your friends, Oomi?" 

"I see dem everyday! I wanna to talk to your friends!" shouted Oomi.

"She's quite, chatty," said Kuza.

"Like you're the one to talk!" replied Mya.

"I'll be right back with my breakfast. Oomi, please don't talk their ears off, ok?" said Mae-Lin.

"Silly Mama, you can't talk someone's ear off," said Oomi. 

"Why do you think Mama's ears don't work? Someone almost talked them off!" Mae-Lin replied.

The table erupted into laughter as Oomi's jaw dropped. Mya assured Oomi she was only kidding as Mae-Lin walked over to the counter to make up a tray. As returned to the table she took a deep breath. She had to say it now. Take the band aid off. 

"I have to tell you guys something," said Mae-Lin nervously. "Tomorrow all the world leaders are coming to go over a plan about how to handle The Resistance and they are expected this big detailed explanation about what to do and I know I am just bum-rushing this on you guys but-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there. First of all Oomi told us about the meeting yesterday," said Kuza.

"Oomi...." said Mae-Lin, glaring at her direction.

"I'm sorry Mama! I was jus excited they were comin' and I wanted to tell 'em everythin'!" Oomi responded. 

"After Oomi told us we met after the campfire last night and early this morning to brainstorm some ideas. We know that you have been under a lot of stress doing this almost completely on your own, so we thought we could help you out a bit," said Zylon.

"So you lied to me then Sheng. You weren't up early doing a meditation," said Mae-Lin, her eyes gazing toward him.

"Technically no. We met early this morning, but I meditated briefly before our little chat," Sheng replied. 

"We must really like you. We got up while was still dark," said Kuza, giving Mae-Lin a quick wink. "It took a bit of arguing and brainstorming, but I think we have something."

"What did you come up with?" Mae-Lin asked.

Zylon, Kuza, Mya, and Sheng all looked at each other, fighting with their eyes over who would divulge the plan. 

"How about we discuss this somewhere a little more, uh private," said Sheng. "We don't know who may overhear."

"Why are you worried?" asked Mae-Lin.

"You do realize who the leader of the Resistance is right? He's an airbender. As far as I'm concerned anyone here could be a spy," said Sheng, looking around.

"Wow that's bold coming from you" said Mae-Lin. 

"He's right. We talked this over yesterday. Given the nature of the situation, you can't trust anyone," said Mya. 

While their suspicions were a bit paranoid, they had a point. Liang grew up on this island. Who knows if there are any connections to his cause who still live on the island. 

"I know where we can go. It's my unofficial "Avatar" room," said Mae-Lin.

"An Avatar room? Now this is a place I have to see," said Kuza.

"It's more like a glorified library. I have a bunch of books, maps, and any other resources you could think of that would serve useful to being the Avatar. It also hold my most useful resource aka the reason I wear this key around my neck," said Mae-Lin, holding the key in her fingers. 

"I've wondered why you wore that. I figured it was some weird metal bending thing," said Mya. 

"Oh no! I wouldn't want to ruin this key!" Mae-Lin exclaimed.

"What is so valuable in there that you need a key anyways?" said Kuza.

"Wait till you see what's in there," said Zylon with a sly smile.

The team quickly returned their trays and dishes to be washed. Oomi protested to go with them to the "Avatar Room", but Mae-Lin insisted that she were to go with the other children for daycare. Mae-Lin then led Team Avatar to her room. It was deep within the compound, easily missed if you weren't looking for it. The door looked as if it could be an entrance to a utility closest, not a room big enough to hold a small library. Mae-Lin opened the door with her key and a series of some metal bending moves to reveal one of her best kept secrets. Floor to ceiling book cases covered most of the wall space. A small section of wall also had small corkboard with notes and pictures scattered all over. A ladder on rails that made each book reachable rested in front of the corkboard. Each shelf was carefully labeled by subject, time period, or author. In the middle of the room was a large wooden table with a single wooden chair pushed in. A few sticky notes scattered the table as well as some open books. It was clearly a well used room.

"Wow, this is....something," said Sheng.

"You weren't wrong when you said it was a library. How many books are even in here?" asked Kuza, his eyes wide in awe.

"I stopped counting once I reached around a thousand," said Mae-Lin.

"You counted to a thousand?!" exclaimed Kuza.

"No! I was keeping a log here," said Mae-Lin, pointing to a binder sitting on a small table in the corner, "but once I began to collect more and more books and became busy with others things I forgot to log them."

"Maybe we can help!" said Kuza.

"I think stopping The Resistance takes priority at this point, Kuza," said Mya.

"I would love some help to eventually log everything. Maybe when we have some downtime?" suggested Mae-Lin.

"I would love that!" exclaimed Kuza. He quickly scanned the room before saying, "I don't see anymore chairs, where are we going to sit?" 

"Already on it," said Zylon, holding 4 chairs in his arms. No one had noticed that he had briefly left to grab a few chairs. He dropped them with a loud thud as dust spread throughout the room, causing a few of them to cough. He brushed some of the dust that got on his United Forces uniform off in disgust, as a spotless uniform was required when reporting for duty. It had changed quite a bit since the time of Korra. Instead of each bender having their own color representing their nation, the uniform was styled to be the same for each member. The uniform modeled the old police uniforms but without the metal armor. It also included a small symbol signifying their nationality above the right breast, and their rank symbol above the left. 

"Woah there strong guy, no need to show off," said Kuza, punching Zylon in his chest.

Zylon shrugged the hit off as each member took a chair and positioned themselves around the table. Mae-Lin scrambled to shove notes into books to create a clean working space for her friends. 

"No need to do that," said Kuza.

"Why not? We need space to go over our plan!" Mae-Lin said with a slight tone of panic in her voice.

"Mae-Lin, breathe. You're spinning," said Zylon placing his hand on Mae-Lin's shoulder, cuing her to relax. 

"No need to worry Mae-Lin. We have your back!" said Mya. 

"Let me just get my notebook and my most valued resource," said Mae-Lin "or as I previously said, the reason why I have one of the only keys to this room."

Mae-Lin walked to the corner of the room where she tugged on a book to reveal a large safe behind a section in the book case. Mae-Lin entered a combination and pulled out a large, old leather bound book held together by a thick green string. The edges of the book were worn from many years of use and many pages were beginning to fall out. 

"What...is that?" asked Kuza.

"My Avatar handbook," said Mae-Lin.

"Your Avatar wha?" Kuza responded.

"It's more like a scrapbook. Korra made it while she was alive. It's full of letters from her and others she relied on during her time as the Avatar. Some of these letters are even from people that are still alive!" Mae-Lin exclaimed.

"Yeah...barely," said Kuza under his breath.

"Kuza!" Mya shouted, slapping him in his shoulder. 

"This book is full of advice of how to be the Avatar. Korra took it seriously to make a valued resource for me," said Mae-Lin, slamming the book on the table with a thud.

"Well can't you just communicate with her? Can't Avatar's communicate with their past lives?" asked Kuza as many pair of eyes darted to him. "What? Am I missing something?" 

"She can't communicate with her past lives dum-dum. The connection was severed when Korra was the Avatar. That's why she made this book," said Mya.

"Well I am not sure if it's severed. I've been to the spirit world several times to find Korra, no luck so far. She's been in some of my dreams, but they are vague and I often forget what they were about when I wake up. I am not giving up hope. Until then, I have this book," Mae-Lin said.

"The book's cool, but how does this relate to our plan?" asked Kuza.

"I brought it out just in case," said Mae-Lin. 

After shifting some more notes around, Mae-Lin opened up her notebook. It took her a hot minute to find a blank page, as it was filled with many pages of notes and drawings. She grabbed a pen from across the table and readied her hand to take notes. 

"Really? Where's the painbrush and ink" said Sheng.

"Get your head out of the gutter Sheng, many people use pens," said Mae-Lin "Besides the ink gets all over my hand when I write!"

"I forgot. You are left handed. Weirdo," said Mya with some snarkiness in her voice. 

Mae-Lin ignored Mya's comment as she was entranced in the beginning of her note take process. She hastily took the lid off her pen and etched 'The Plan' at the top of the page. 

"No need to take detailed notes. We figured that we would be at the meeting with you," said Sheng.

"There's no way we would drop a bomb like this on you an expect you to give a plan all on your own," said Zylon.

How could she think her friends wouldn't back her up at a time like this? They came up with this plan. Why wouldn't they help her present it?

"So, what do you have?" Mae-Lin asked, easing her grip on her pen. 

"The first thing we had to do is figure out how The Resistance is able to communicate with each other," said Kuza, reaching into his backpack to pull out a large sheet of paper with various notes scribbled all over. He laid the paper on the table and it caught Mae-Lin's attention. She began to copy some of its notes before Zylon took the paper away. 

"As Kuza was saying, the main problem is their lack of documented communication. From what I gathered, The Resistance has shown no evidence of any modern technology for communications," said Zylon.

"We already know that," said Mae-Lin.

"Right. So it became our mission to figure it out," said Mya.

"And that's when Sheng had his stroke of genious!" shouted Kuza.

"I can't believe I hadn't thought of it sooner," said Sheng, shaking his head. "I almost forgot about one key technique that airbenders."

"Spiritual projection!" shouted Kuza, raising his arm high in the air.

"Thanks for stealing my thunder, Kuza," said Sheng.

"You know he get's overly excited," said Mya. 

"Sorry, you may continue," said Kuza, motioning towards Sheng.

"Do you know what that is Mae-Lin?" asked Sheng.

"Yeah. I can't believe I didn't think of that either," Mae-Lin replied. "Liang is one person though, he can't possibly using spiritual projection all himself." Mae-Lin paused briefly before continuing, "How can he possibly have the ability to do that technique anyways? I thought airbenders loose their strength if they abandon their air nomad ways."

"That's what we thought too. He's gotta draw his power from another source. Sheng also reminded us that Liang wasn't the only airbender to split," said Zylon.

"While it is uncertain if they knew how to use the technique, we almost can say that Liang taught them, since he can do it," said Sheng. 

"We also believe that Liang was able to find more airbenders within the Earth Confederation to help build his numbers. Harmonic Convergence brought back the air nation, but not every person who gained airbending decided to become a nomad. Obviously those airbenders are most likely not alive, but some may have had airbender kids that also never joined," added Zylon.

"But how did he find them?" asked Mae-Lin.

"We aren't sure. He may have used spiritual projection to locate them, but as far as I know you can only use the technique to locate the energies of people you are connected to," said Sheng.

"It's possible that since they are airbenders he can," said Kuza.

"Potentially. He may be able to locate the airbenders energy by honing in on their high spiritual energies. I highly doubt airbenders who have not taken up the Air Nomad lifestyle would be very spiritual," noted Sheng. "Liang is a powerful airbender, but I don't think he can be capable of such a feat. While Liang did have a strong spiritual connection, it would be extremely difficult to complete that feat." 

"If he is capable of such a feat, then he must have found another source of his power which explains a lot," said Zylon. 

"That's great, but how does that help? How can we know for sure that this is how he's able to operate?" asked Mae-Lin.

Silence filled the room as no one was really sure on how to proceed. 

Kuza broke the silence. "Hey, you ever wonder how The Resistance is one step ahead of everything? Like how they attack certain villages because they know which ones have little protection?" asked Kuza.

"Your point?" asked Mae-Lin.

"What if Liang is able to spiritual project himself into meetings and gather the information by eavesdropping on their conversation?" said Kuza. "Mae-Lin, is there someone Liang could have been close to that attends these meetings?" 

"Rohan! He's always at the meetings with me. Rohan is always there with me as a support," said Mae-Lin. "Before Liang split from the Air Nomads, he had a close relationship with Rohan. It makes total sense now!" 

"Bingo! That's it!" said Kuza.

"Now that we know that he's probably honing in on Rohan, we can use it to our advantage to figure out if they use the technique," said Mya. 

"If this is the case, we need to be careful about what we say tomorrow," said Zylon. "We don't want to share anything that they can continue to use to their advantage."

"Or we could discuss nothing and use tomorrow to test our theory," replied Kuza. "Mae-Lin, what kind of rooms do you use for these meetings?" 

"Depends on the location," said Mae-Lin.

"But what does the room look like?" said Kuza.

"What kind of question is that?" asked Mya.

"Because if they are eavesdropping, they would have to find a place to hide where no one could see them," replied Kuza.

"Wow Kuza, I'm impressed. Maybe the Fire Navy really did teach you something," said Zylon. 

Kuza shot a quick glare Zylon's way before continuing. "The room tomorrow is important. We need to hold the meeting in a room with nothing in it but tables and chairs." said Kuza. 

"I will see if we can change the room. It shouldn't be a problem," said Mae-Lin.

"I will talk to my superiors and see if we can get a few more United Forces soldiers to stand guard. We need extra eyes to lookout for Liang," added Zylon.

"Or any other airbender. It could be any of the others that left to join his cause," Sheng mentioned. 

"Do we know who left?" asked Kuza.

"I'm sure Rohan kept a log," replied Mae-Lin.

"Mae-Lin, if you can get the names and photos of those who left with Liang, then we can use those photos to help the guards identify them quickly," said Zylon.

"They will be easy to spot. They will be glowing," said Sheng.

"Well it would help confirm our theory even more," Zylon said back.

"Very well. Mae-Lin, get on that room change and those photos. Zylon, you see if get extra guards and distribute the photos if we can," said Kuza.

"Who made you in charge?" asked Mya.

"Someone's gotta do it!" exclaimed Kuza. 

Mae-Lin shook her head and let out a small laugh. Kuza was always the leader of the group. While Zylon and Sheng were the oldest, Kuza always took the lead. While he was a highly trained weapons specialist, Kuza wanted to contribute more to the group. He felt his natural born ability to lead was it. No one really minded that he took the lead except for Mya for personal reasons. While Kuza was flamboyant and energetic he was also very intuitive and had a great mind for strategy which is partly why he decided to join the Fire Navy. 

The group came to an agreement on their roles and next steps. As everyone was leaving the room, Mae-Lin could feel the tension she had been carrying over the past few days slowly leave her body. She finally felt that she could relax a bit.

Mae-Lin reopened the safe to place the handbook back inside. While she did not need it now, she figured she would try to come back later and to find anything about spiritual projection. She carefully rebound the book and slipped it inside, resetting the combination, and covering the safe back up behind the hidden compartment. As began to reorganize the rest of her materials, she noticed that Sheng had hung back. 

"What are you still doing here?" asked Mae-Lin.

"Do you want me to handle the room reassignment?" he asked.

"Uh sure. Why?" she said back cautiously. 

"You seem a bit overwhelmed. I thought I could take one thing off your plate," he said, shifting over to the table to help in packing her bag. 

"You aren't wrong there. I would appreciate that," she replied. 

"Thought I could make myself useful while you clean up this...explosion on the table" he said, handing her another pen. 

Mae-Lin let out a booming laugh as Sheng grabbed some of the papers on the table. 

"I know it's a bit of chaos here. Trust me I am usually not this scattered," she replied. "Theres a method to my madness."

"Whatever works for you, but from what I know is that a cluttered space usually means a cluttered mind," he said as he stacked a few notes in a pile. 

Mae-Lin stopped stacking her various notes and took a deep breath. Sheng always had the knack for picking up on subtle hints like these. 

"Nothing get's past you," she stated.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked. 

Mae-Lin thought hard about his offer. Typically she would leave these thoughts inside because she had other things to worry about. Sheng may be a good person to talk to though because thing were starting to get out of hand. 

"How about we talk it over later? We never did get go to the Spirit World. It would offer us a quiet place to talk."

"Sounds like a plan."

Mae-Lin fastened her bag shut with all her materials secured. She slung the bag over her shoulder and it hit her hip with a loud thud. Sheng held the door open as they exited the room and made their way down the hall. 

"You know Sheng you really know how to read people. You are going to be a great guru someday."

"Why thank you. That is my ultimate goal." 

Mae-Lin shot him a smile as they continued down the hall. With the a solid plan in place for the next day, Mae-Lin felt relieved. A huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders. Her Team Avatar had taken the time and sacrificed some hours of sleep to help her in her time of need. She truly had the right friends in her corner helping her every step of the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How great is Sheng?


	4. Rohan's Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally get to see how Rohan plays into this story. I am enjoying writing his character as an integral piece of the story since we got so little of who he was in TLOK.

Mae-Lin's brief chat with Sheng eased her mind as she went to find Rohan. With a plan in motion, Mae-Lin felt in control for the first time in a while. For most her of her life, the White Lotus dictated her every move. Coming up with a plan for the Resistance had been an experiment of sorts from the White Lotus. Mae-Lin had been begging for years to make decisions on her own without Grand Lotus members breathing down her neck. When she finally had some freedom to make her own decisions, she realized she wasn't as independent as she had hoped. It was then she decided to turn to her friends for help. 

Mae-Lin made her way through the island to find Rohan's office. While Rohan was many years removed from leadership on the island, Rohan still held a mentor role. The Air Nomads had a unique way of governing themselves since their rebirth. They held onto previous standards, but modernized a lot of their customs. Each temple had their own leadership team that typically consisted of 5 air nomads. During world leader meetings, each temple sent one representative that varied each time. While other world leaders complained that it often led to misinformation and confusion, the Air Nomads didn't let it alter the way they chose to handle world manners. The Air Nomads were always the nation of freedom, and they chose to govern themselves in as a group rather than one chosen leader. 

As Mae-Lin entered Rohan's office, Rohan was seated at his desk, talking with his son, Rohan Jr. Their conversation seemed to be a light one, as evidenced by their facial expressions and body language. Like his father, Rohan Jr. sported a shaved head and had similar facial hair that closely resembled the style that Tenzin wore. Mae-Lin has been told by many that Rohan closely resembled his father. While Mae-Lin never met Tenzin, she could see the resemblance in the few pictures she was able to find of him in the scrapbook that Korra made. The main difference between the two was the Rohan had clear signs of age in his wrinkled skin and near white facial hair. 

Rohan Jr. left the room like a leaf in the breeze before Mae-Lin could even acknowledge his presence. Like his father, Rohan Jr. was mild tempered and didn't speak much. Mae-Lin found it easy to talk to Rohan when she needed to vent her frustrations as he was a great listener and gave great advice. She spent a lot of time in Rohan's office since moving to the island a little over 3 years ago. 

The room was quite large mainly due to the limited furniture and decorations in the room. Rohan had a few pictures of the temples on the walls and a picture of his family, but the walls were mostly bare. There was a small book case that held some old texts of the Air Nomads and various pictures of Rohan's family, past and present. Mae-Lin always smiled when she gazed upon a picture of young Rohan with his siblings. It reminded her of her relationship with her own brother and sister and how much she has missed seeing them over the years. While Hua visited quite often when her husband, then fiancè, was in town for business she had only seen Gangi and her parents a few times a year for birthdays and certain holidays. Her time spent on the island has given her a whole new family for her to lean on when she couldn't turn to her own. 

Mae-Lin took the seat left by Rohan Jr. previously. The chair was quite large, and Mae-Lin didn't know quite how to get comfortable in it. Rohan laughed as Mae-Lin tried to find the right position in which to sit.

"You always make me laugh every time you try to sit in that chair," said Rohan with a giggle. 

"You know I am not that tall! Sure I'm not the shortest person on the planet, but not everyone who sit in this chair is going to be as tall as a platypus bear!" replied Mae-Lin. 

Rohan's smile stretched across his face and another small chuckle escaped his thin lips. 

"So, what brings you to my office today?" asked Rohan. 

"This may have come as being a bit forward, but I was hoping to know if you knew of the airbenders who left with Liang 6 years ago," she asked.

"I had a feeling you would be asking me about them soon," he said with a sigh "I believe I have them in a log book somewhere." 

Rohan slowly rose up out of his seat. His old joints creaked like an old rocking chair needing repair.

"I can find the book if you want," said Mae-Lin.

"Nonsense! I may be old, but I am fully capable of going across the room to find a book," he said back. "Besides, it would be faster for me to search for it since I know what the book looks like."

Within a few minutes Rohan had located a small spiral-bound orange notebook. Before returning to the desk he flipped through the pages to locate the names that Mae-Lin was looking for.

"Ah yes here they are. Not many on this list, but disappointing none-the-less," said Rohan with sadness in his voice. "Why do you specifically need these names?"

"I was talking with my friends about a plan for tomorrow and how the Resistance is able to stay in touch with each other and the goings of the world. After some discussion we believe Liang along with these airbenders are able to communicate with each other through spiritual projection," replied Mae-Lin. 

Rohan rubbed his fingers on his chin as he examined the list once more from his desk. A small pout appeared on his face before he looked up from the page, gazing up toward Mae-Lin's direction.

"It's quite possible. Liang and two of the airbenders were able to exhibit the skill and it is possible the other 3 could have been taught. It's a difficult technique, but with the proper training it can be done," explained Rohan.

"Even if an airbender abandons the ways of the nomads?" asked Mae-Lin.

"The Air Nation has evolved since Harmonic Convergence. While many still hold true to the central tenants, there are many whole can still gain great power by finding other ways of spirituality," said Rohan. "Don't forget air is the element of freedom and these airbenders found great freedom in leaving Air Temple Island and finding their own identities, while very misguided." 

"I guess that makes sense as to how Liang is able to hold so much power still," answered Mae-Lin.

Rohan grabbed a loose piece of paper from his desk and copied the names from his notebook. He jotted down additional notes before he slid the paper across the desk over to Mae-Lin.

"These are the names of the airbenders from this temple that left," said Rohan. "I included their gender and connection to Liang. If I knew their ages I would include them, but it's been a while and my old brain has forgotten!"

The list read as:

Liang: M, leader 

Hirota: F, cousin

Hitomu: M, cousin 

Jinpa: F, friend

Kunchen: M, friend 

Korbu: F, friend 

"Hirota and Hitomu are siblings and Liang's cousins. Jinpa and Kunchen were his close friends from his time on the island. Korbu was known to be his girlfriend but nothing was confirmed," said Rohan. "That's all I can't remember about them. I try to leave that part of life behind."

"I don't blame you. I can only imagine the type of pain you felt when they left," Mae-Lin responded, reaching her hand across the desk to touch Rohan's. 

"It was almost as painful as a death of a family member, and I have experienced my fair share of loss," he replied. Rohan was the last surviving member of his siblings, as his brother had just passed away a few years ago. While it was tough to be the last of your family growing up to still be alive, Rohan found solace in the fact that his own immediate family was still alive and well. 

Rohan rested his elbows on the top of his desk and folded his hands tightly. His head rested briefly on his wrinkled hands before he continued, "What do you have planned for tomorrow Mae-Lin?"

"We were going to set up a trap of sorts, to confirm our theory," replied Mae-Lin. Rohan's eyes gazed intently into Mae-Lin's as she continued. "Sheng is in the process of making a room change in order to do so. We figured if we are in a room with little hiding space that-"

"The airbenders will be easy to spot. Very good young avatar," interupted Rohan.

"I can't take the credit, it was Kuza's idea," Mae-Lin stated.

"Ah Kuza. That energetic boy sure does have a good noggin'."

Mae-Lin's laugh filled the room before she continued, "Yes Kuza sure does have the brain for ideas. I am fortunate to have him on my side."

"Sounds like the group you rounded up is quite the team. I've heard a lot about Mya's healing talents and Sheng is on the right path to go down as the next great Air Nomad guru," said Rohan with a smile. "He spent a bit of his time during his childhood here on the island. What an incredible young man."

"Really? He never mentioned that," Mae-Lin said back.

"He moved here when he began going to Republic City Academy to hone his talents when he was around 8 if I wasn't mistaken. He's originally from the Eastern Air Temple," said Rohan. 

"I knew he was from that air temple, had no idea though that he spent time here!" exclaimed Mae-Lin. "He is a bit mysterious."

"Mysterious but very wise and kind. Too bad he's taken at the moment. I would have loved to have seen one of my grandkids end up with him," said Rohan.

"Sheng's got a girlfriend?" replied Mae-Lin. 

Rohan's face flushed beat red. "It's uh...ahem...not my place to tell," he replied. 

"Oh come on!" shouted Mae-Lin. "Why can't I know?"

"Because....it's personal. Don't tell him I said anything, but when he's ready he will tell you." 

Mae-Lin thought suspiciously of this information, but decided not to probe any further. 

"Fair enough," she said, dropping the subject. Mae-Lin reached across the table for the list. folded the slip of paper and slipped it into her pants pocket. Mae-Lin started to get out of her chair to leave when Rohan interrupted her.

"Looks like you have a solid plan in place. You must feel relieved," said Rohan.

"You have no idea," Mae-Lin replied, sitting back down.

"I've noticed you've been a little tense lately. Is everything ok?" he asked.

Mae-Lin's shoulders drooped a bit as she settled more into her chair.

"Honestly, there's just so much going on right now. Oomi is turning three in a few days and I still haven't finished getting her present let alone plan her party," she replied.

"Why don't you let the us handle the party. You know we airbenders love to throw a party!" Rohan reminded her.

"I know. It's just this is one thing I feel that's 'normal' that I can do. She's just growing up so fast. I feel like the past 3 years have been a blur of sorts with everything going on with The Resistance," she said with frustration in her voice. 

Tears began to well up in Mae-Lin's eyes, clouding her vision. A rock formed in her throat, in which she swallowed hard to force it away. Mae-Lin's tear filled gaze met her shaking hands in her lap. She hadn't realized that her whole body was suddenly shaking until she looked down at her hands. She could feel her heartbeat pound violently in her chest as if someone had been beating a drum inside her. 

"Let it out Mae-Lin," he said reassuringly. 

Mae-Lin's worn sleeves from her cardigan served as makeshift tissue to wipe her tears. She released a large breath from her mouth before saying, "I'm fine. I just had a moment there." 

"Mae-Lin there is nothing wrong with expressing your emotions," he said. "While it's tough to be vulnerable, it's important to allow ourselves to be vulnerable in order to understand our emotions and how we can process them."

Rohan rose out of his seat and dragged his chair next to hers. He placed one hand on her folded ones in her lap and gave a slight squeeze. 

"Whatever it is you are struggling with, you have to allow yourself to have those feelings but also talk about them so that you can move forward," he said. 

"You are starting to sound a lot like Sheng," she said. 

"Who do you think he learned it from?" he said with a smile. Mae-Lin returned the gesture with a slight grin herself. 

"I don't have time to worry about mundane things Rohan. I can't sit back and sulk about everything going on when I have a huge problem hanging over my head," she said.

"My dear, you must help yourself before you can help others," he said. "You can't fix the problems of this world if there are problems within your own life that you need to deal with."

"Don't tell that to the White Lotus," she said quietly.

Ever since the attack on Mae-Lin's village 6 years ago, the White Lotus as a group had downplayed the nature of the event and the trauma that followed to Mae-Lin. It was partly due to Hong-Ra leaving the White Lotus ever so abruptly shortly after Mae-Lin's injury. Before he left, Hong-Ra made sure that Mae-Lin had a deep spiritual connection so she could learn to connect with her Avatar spirit and to have a level head. He knew the importance of a balanced mind. When he left, her training took a drastic shift into her focusing on learning the elements over spiritual matters. Mae-Lin learned to push her emotions aside as she had more important affairs to deal with. It wasn't until Mae-Lin moved to Air Temple Island when she was able to truly focus on her spiritual side of being the Avatar. Rohan turned into her spiritual advisor that she had been craving for years. 

"The White Lotus can kiss my old timey ass," Rohan exclaimed.

"Rohan! I never would have thought that kind of language would come out of your mouth!" Mae-Lin shot back with a smile. 

"When you get to my age, you begin to care less about what comes out of your mouth," he said with a grin. "It's true though. I could care less about what they think. Their focus is on the wrong things. When my great grandfather established the White Lotus to be guardians of the Avatar his intentions, or so I've heard, were not for them to become what they are today. The Grand Lotus members are a bunch of fools who exploit you for power and influence."

"Tell me about it. I think that's why Hong-Ra left. He got tired of the others trying to push boundaries too much. I wish he didn't leave though. Having him in my corner is what got me through the first few years at the Academy."

"You haven't heard from him lately, have you?" 

"Every once and a while he will send me a postcard with no return address. It's nice to know he's still alive, but I wish I could talk to him. I felt like he really understood me."

"I never really understood why he left myself. It wasn't until you came to the Island that I realized how much he meant to you."

"His circumstances behind him leaving were a bit suspicious. I guess I will never know until he comes back."

Rohan shifted in his chair to gaze out his circular window. It was a bit small and high on the wall, but it let in just enough sunlight to illuminate the room. A small bird spirit landed on the window, pecking around. It's yellow feathers sparkled in the sunlight and illuminated the room. 

"Looks like we have a friend," said Rohan. 

The bird took off into the room at the sound of Rohan's voice and landed on his desk. Rohan reached out his hand to invite the bird into their presence. The bird let out a small chirp as Rohan stroked its head. Just then a few more bird spirits and a few regular birds began flying into the room, landing on Rohan's desk. Rohan reached into his robes to pull out some birdseed he had stashed for such occasions. Before he could scatter the seeds on his desk, the birds had already gathered close to eat straight out of his hand. 

"You know if you keep doing that, you are going to have a whole flock in here," said Mae-Lin. 

"It's the little things in life Mae-Lin. I enjoy the beauty of nature in all forms," Rohan responded.

As one of the birds took off out of the window it left a 'present' on Rohan's desk. 

"In all forms huh?" joked Mae-Lin. 

Before Rohan could get up, Mae-Lin was already out of her chair to find a rag and some cleaning solution to clean up the mess. 

"No need to clean up after my own doing," said Rohan. 

"I don't mind. You wouldn't have to keep cleaning this desk if you would just put a screen in the window," Mae-Lin said, shooing a few birds aside to create room to clean. The mess was a bit harder to clean than expected as she scrubbed harder on the desk. The stain on the desk started to come off and Mae-Lin shouted out in frustration. 

"Shit the paint is coming off," she said. 

Rohan glared at her for her use of language.

"Hey don't you dare, you just used the phrase "old timey ass" not too long ago!" she shot back. 

"Well I'm old! I can say whatever I want!" he exclaimed. 

Mae-Lin ignored Rohan's smart remark as she continued to scrub the mess away, even though it was clean enough. Rohan delicately placed his hand on Mae-Lin's cueing her to stop scrubbing. 

"Don't you worry about the stain. I kind of like the weathered look," Rohan said. 

"To each their own, but now theres just a huge spot in the middle that looks entirely out of place. Wouldn't that bother you?" Mae-Lin asked. 

"I find that little things such as a bird pooping on my desk aren't worth the headspace to worry about," he replied. 

Mae-Lin shrugged. "I wish my brain worked like that." 

"Why?"

"I feel like my brain is just filled with unnecessary things to worry about."

"What do you mean?"

Mae-Lin's face scrunched up tight. Her eyebrows sunk in, so deep that it blurred part of her vision. Her lips pursed tight and hard on her upper teeth. 

"Why...why are you pestering me about this?" she said, her hands gripping the edge of the desk so hard her knuckles turned white.

"I just want to know why you feel like your worries are unnecessary. If you are worried about something, usually it means there is some fear behind it that you need to address," he said.

"That's not how I operate," she said, her shoulders hanging low. "My masters always taught me to get over my worries and forget about them."

"But you never understood the underlying fear," he added. "This is why I am glad you came to the island when you did. Your masters were so misguided in spiritual affairs. It was like that even when Korra was alive."

Rohan's comment of Korra suddenly piqued Mae-Lin's interest.

"What was it like when she was alive?" she asked. 

"Well first of all Korra, like you, thought she had to get over her fears by forgetting them and not addressing them head on. She faced many tough enemies when I was very young and it took time for her to process her fear," he said, rising out of his chair. "Unlike you though she wouldn't have cared too much about this stain."

Rohan flashed her a quick smile as he took the rag away. 

"Korra went through unimaginable pain, both physical and mental. It took her years to process what had happened to her," he said sadly.

"I think it would take anyone that long to process it. She was poisoned and nearly died! The Avatar Cycle was almost broken. Not to mention she was also paralyzed for a short period of time. " she replied. 

"I am not just talking about when she was poisoned by Zaheer."

Mae-Lin's eyebrows raised in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Rohan folded the rag and returned it to where Mae-Lin found it. 

"Korra had her bending taken away and her Avatar Spirit ripped from her body. While it looked like on the surface that she was handling it well, she suppressed a lot of that trauma. It all came to a head when she was poisoned. That's why it took her so long to heal."

"I guess I never looked at it like that."

"The White Lotus has forced you to suppress a lot of your past trauma around your injury. It saddens me that they favored your physical strength over your mental strength. A tree is only as strong as-"

"It's roots" Mae-Lin said, finishing his words. 

"I see you are paying attention in our talks."

"What does that even mean? Like I get that in order for a tree to grow big and strong it has to have strong, deep roots but what does that mean for me?"

"I'm glad you asked. How about I explain it over lunch. It's about that time," he said, gesturing to the door. 

Mae-Lin smiled in response as they both made their way to the dining hall. It wasn't a far walk from Rohan's office. On the way there they passed Kuza and Mya, arguing quite loudly.

"For the last time Kuza, I am not allowing you to cut off your finger," she said loudly. "Why do you keep asking me that every time we see each other?"

"Why not! I want to know what it's like to have one less appendage! You can just heal it back on, right?" he asked. 

"That's not how it works!" said Mya pointing a finger into his chest. "You think you know everything but you don't. If you were to cut off your finger and heal it back on you would have to go through various healing sessions to heal the muscles and nerves and there is no guarantee that everything would even heal correctly."

"Hey guys let's not get too heated here," Mae-Lin said, getting between the two of them. 

"Can you please tell him to get his head out of his ass? He doesn't seem to listen to me," Mya said sharply. 

Mae-Lin looked over at Kuza who had a big grin on his face. Both Rohan and Mae-Lin shook their heads in response.

"Rohan I'll join you in the dinning hall shortly. How about you walk with Kuza?" she said "And maybe try to talk some sense into him?" she whispered as he past.

Rohan chuckled as he walked by. He grasped Kuza's shoulder gently and said, "Has Mae-Lin ever told you the story of how my wife almost cut off MY own finger?" 

"No! Mae-Lin how could you not mention it?" Kuza said, his face lighting up.

"Must have never cross my mind," said Mae-Lin, with a hint of snark in her voice. 

Rohan began telling the thrilling tale of how he almost lost a finger in a freak airbending training accident to Kuza as Mae-Lin shifted her focus to Mya.

"What's he got you all riled up for?" she asked.

"It's just constant with him! Ever since we got here I swear almost every word that comes out of his mouth irritates me!" she shouted. "I can't stand him sometimes."

"Mya. You know why he bugs you right?" Mae-Lin asked.

"I swear if you say it's because he likes me I'm going to-" 

"No! Well it's possible, but that's not what I am going to say," Mae-Lin said, putting her hand on Mya's shoulder. "It's because that's the only time he gets to talk to you is when he's pushing your buttons. You completely shut him out after-"

Mya's eyes made contact with Mae-Lin. Her features softened and her cheeks began to turn red. 

"After what?" Mya said pointingly. 

Mae-Lin noticed the slight change in Mya's demeanor. Instead of pressing further, she decided to drop the subject. 

"You know what, you are clearly on edge with Kuza getting under your skin, how about we talk about it later?" Mae-Lin said, placing her hand on Mya's shoulder.

"What is there to talk about? Kuza is annoying. He's been like that since we me him," Mya said.

Mae-Lin thought to press further, but decided against it. It wasn't worth the conversation at this time. 

"How about we drop this for now and pick it back up when you aren't has angry?" Mae-Lin asked.

"I don't know what else there is to talk about though," Mya responded, "He gets on my nerves and that's it."

Mae-Lin brushed off the comment as she signaled to Mya to make their way to the dining hall. Kuza and Rohan were deep into a conversation while Sheng was quietly eating his meal next to them. 

"I can only wonder what they are talking about," said Mya.

"With Kuza...it could be anything," responded Mae-Lin. 

Mae-Lin and Mya grabbed their trays of food and joined the group. 

"So there's my finger, hanging on by a thread. My wife is in hysterics trying to comfort me and offer some type of aid meanwhile my master was rushing to find the nearest healer to give me medical attention," explained Rohan. 

Rohan's eyes grew large as he was deeply invested in the story. Sheng continued to quietly munch on his food as Kuza elbowed him in the arm. 

"Sheng isn't this fascinating? Why aren't you impressed by this story?" asked Kuza.

"Because I've heard it before. Rohan tells it to EVERYONE he knows," replied Sheng.

Chuckles erupted around the table before Rohan continued.

"As I was saying, a healer was trying to be tracked down and my wife was very concerned. It was an accident and pretty much my fault, but she felt horrible. Eventually a healer came and got the finger back into place. After a few days of healing sessions I was back to some basic training. But of course after that day she was no longer my partner," Rohan finished with a smile.

"So how did you two actually become a couple given the fact she almost cut off your finger?" asked Mya.

Rohan shot Mya a warm smile. "I'm glad you asked! For a while she had caught my eye, but I didn't know if she felt the same. After that incident she spent a lot of time with me, making sure I was healing properly and helping me out with tasks since my whole hand was in a bandage for a few days. That time spent together made us even closer as friends and eventually our relationship turned into a romantic one."

Smiles as bright as the sun were present on the faces at the table while Mya said, "That's so sweet!" 

"It is very sweet," replied Mae-Lin, "but if you don't mind Rohan I would like to finish the conversation we were having earlier."

"Ah yes. This is actually a good test for Sheng here. Sheng, explain to Mae-Lin the meaning behind the phrase 'A tree is only as strong as it's roots' in regards to a person's well-being," said Rohan.

As Rohan posed the question, Sheng slurped up a bite of noodles. He nearly choked on some of the broth, which led to a bit of concern.

"Taken off guard there, weren't ya buddy," said Kuza with some snark as he pounded his back.

"I'm not going to lie, I am a bit taken off guard," Sheng said, shaking off Kuza's arm. "I do believe I have the answer you are seeking Mae-Lin."

Sheng briefly paused to take a sip of water before continuing. "What Rohan is saying is that your mental strength is determined by how well you were able to handle difficulties in your past. If you were able to 'absorb' the appropriate 'nutrients' you need to set good roots, then you are able to grow to be mentally tough and strong as you go on through your life."

"So what you are saying is that in order to handle difficulties well, you have to have the appropriate tools set in place to use to get you through those hard times?" Mae-Lin asked.

"Basically. Right Rohan?" asked Sheng.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Rohan said back.

Mae-Lin took slurped up a large bite of noodles as she thought about what she just learned. Had she been given the right tools throughout her life?

"No," she thought to herself. 

Mae-Lin had learned coping mechanisms for her fear, but in reality they did not allow her to process her fear and fully learn and grown from her past difficulties. She has made significant progress since coming to the island, but even she knew that she has a long way to go.

"Mae-Lin, I urge you you meditate on this thought today. I feel like it could give you great clarity about what we talked about earlier," said Rohan.

"Maybe we can finally finish our meditation from this morning," said Sheng.

"The Spirit World would be a good place to think over these thoughts," Mae-Lin said back.

"And once we are in the Spirit World no one would be able to disturb us," Sheng noted with a smile. 

"You have a point there," Mae-Lin said, pointing her chopsticks a Sheng. 

The group continued to converse and eat their lunch as Mae-Lin continued to dwell over the revelation she made about her emotions. Her thoughts raced through her head like the newest model of the Satomobile as she tried to stay present in the moment. Before she could let the car get too out of control, she took a deep breath and decided to put the thoughts to rest so that she could fully process them in the comfort of the Spirit World. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we get to see a familiar location in the Spirit World. We also may see a familiar face there...but I say no more.  
> 


	5. Journey To the Spirit World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here things get...serious. We get to see some of the impact of her past trauma. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you feel the same!

"Mama why do I have to go to bed now? I wanna read some more!" asked Oomi, eager to guilt her mom into a few more minutes of book time.

"Not today little nugget," Mae-Lin responded.

"Why?" Oomi replied.

 _"Not another why question,"_ thought Mae-Lin before responding, "Because I didn't get to finish my meditation from this morning."

"Oh yeah....sorry 'bout dat Mama," said Oomi with a softness to her voice.

"It's ok nugget. You didn't mean to. Besides, I think it was meant to be this way."

Mae-Lin placed the book they were reading on the night stand as Oomi snuggled in to her bed. Quack lay next to her, already in a deep sleep. Small grunts could be heard coming from his mouth and he breathed in and out, absorbed in his little turtle duck dream. Mae-Lin smiled at the sight while she pulled up Oomi's blanket. She tucked her as tight as an egg roll and sprinkled Oomi with little tickles each time she tucked part of the blanket under her body. Oomi's giggles filled Mae-Lin's ears, giving her little comfort in her present chaotic world.

"Good night my little nugget," Mae-Lin said as she placed a delicate kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"I love you Mama," said Oomi, rolling over to place a hand on Quack.

Mae-Lin slowly dropped off the bed, landing both of her feet gently on the floor. As Oomi drifted off to sleep, Mae-Lin quietly exited the room as to not disturb her daughter. Finally she made it to the door and closed it slightly, leaving a small crack open in the door. Before she could turn the corner out of Oomi's room, she was met with Sheng.

"Spirits Sheng! You can't sneak up on people like that!" said Mae-Lin in louder whisper.

Mae-Lin peered through the small crack and could see that Oomi was now fast asleep.

"Sorry. I was just looking to find you to see if you were ready for our meditation," said Sheng. "I didn't mean to disrupt bedtime."

"That's ok. She's fast asleep now. I just need to change into some warmer clothing. Meet you at the meditation pavilion?" asked Mae-Lin.

"Sounds great," Sheng said in reply. Before Mae-Lin could get another word in, Sheng breezed by her. Mae-Lin was always impressed how punctual some of the airbenders were with their time, with Sheng being one of the most. Not a minute was waisted with Sheng which Mae-Lin always appreciated. 

Mae-Lin didn't have to walk far to reach her room. She purposefully made sure that Oomi's room was next to hers when she made Air Temple Island her permanent home almost 3 years ago. As Mae-Lin changed into longer black pants and threw on her favorite cardigan, she reminisced on how much time has flown in the years since Oomi's birth. She couldn't believe her little girl was almost 3. It seemed like she was growing up too fast and given the severity of The Resistance situation, and she felt she was going to miss even more of her getting older. Mae-Lin suppressed some tears and she finished changing into some fur lined boots. They were a recent gift from Mya, homemade by her own father back in the Northern Water Tribe. Mae-Lin hadn't worn them yet, so the fur was nice and soft on her cold feet. Mae-Lin grabbed the gloves that Mya also gifted her as the temperature began to drop to be cold enough for her to need them. 

As Mae-Lin approached the meditation pavillion, she noticed that he too had changed into warmer attire. He now had a long red cloak of sorts that some of the older airbenders often wore. The cloak seemed too large for his body, as if it didn't belong to him. 

"That quite the drapery you have their Sheng," said Mae-Lin, joining Sheng on the ground with a chuckle. 

Mae-Lin quickly noticed two small hot cups of tea and an old clay teapot as she settled herself on the pillow that Sheng had placed for her. A sweet aroma of cinnamon and various other spices filled the air as a breeze blew the steam toward Mae-Lin's face.

"Is this Chai?" Mae-Lin asked, her face lighting up.

"Of course," Sheng said, taking a sip. "I thought we could enjoy a quick cup before meditating, is that ok?" he asked.

"I will never turn down a cup of my favorite tea," she answered. "If I do, please punch me in the head or admit me to a hospital. Something has to be wrong for me to turn down tea."

Sheng giggled while Mae-Lin hastily took a sip, the tea warming her insides. She was met with a touch of sweetness to the tea, one she greatly appreciated. 

"Did you....put honey in here?" she asked.

"And milk...and extra cinnamon. Just how you like your favorite tea," he replied, "Although I made mine with just a small spoonful of honey. You like your tea a bit too sweet for my liking."

"Sheng I can't believe you remembered how I drink my favorite tea! When was the last time I even made Chai in front of you?" 

"I can't remember the exact moment, but it's these little details that I just somehow remember about people," he said with a short smile. "Also...I asked Kuza just to double check how you like it since he seems to remember almost everything there is to know about anyone food wise." 

Mae-Lin nearly spit out her tea to that comment. It was true that Kuza knew Team Avatars favorite drink and food and how they liked it prepared. Kuza took his interest in food preparation VERY seriously. 

"Well thank you. I really appreciate this kind gesture," Mae-Lin said, taking another sip.

Mae-Lin's gaze took her to the setting sun, with shades of various purples, pinks, and oranges filling the sky over the dim lights of Republic City. Within an hour the sky would be almost pitch black with the bright lights of Republic City illuminating the sky. 

"Beautiful sunset tonight, isn't it?" Sheng asked.

"It really is. The best this season," Mae-Lin replied.

"I do have to say I've missed these sunsets. Although the ones from my home temple are simply the best," he replied. 

"Which one are you from?" she asked.

"Northern. My grandfather helped lead the rebuild."

"That's right. I remember you mentioning that a while agao. Wasn't that the temple that was originally destroyed when Ghazan from the Red Lotus buried it under lava?"

"Very good avatar. You know your history!" Sheng said with rigor. 

"I do have my own personal library at an air temple. I would look like a hypocrite if I didn't know some recent history that directly related to my past life," she said. 

Mae-Lin downed the rest of her tea and began to prepare another cup. The cup she made wasn't nearly as good as Sheng's as she had added a bit too much honey and not enough milk. 

"Do you want me to make you up another cup? Mae-Lin asked Sheng.

"Sure, but just the tea. I put a little too much honey in my cup and its stuck to the bottom," he said, shaking his head.

"You have to stir Sheng! Stir!" she shouted. 

A small smile broke across his face as Mae-Lin handed back his cup. 

They both sat in silence for a few more minutes as the sun began to set some more, adding more darkness to the area around them. Mae-Lin noticed lanterns were placed and lit around the Meditation Pavillion, adding some much needed light to the space. 

"Were these here already or did you bring these here?" asked Mae-Lin.

"I brought them. I knew it was most likely going to be dark when we got back, so I thought it would be a good idea to have some light in here in the meantime," Sheng explained. 

"That was very smart of you. I didn't even think that," Mae-Lin said.

"First nighttime meditation?" he joked.

"No, I just don't typically meditate this late or when it's dark. I'm usually exhausted by this time of day. The daily grind as being the Avatar and taking care of Oomi can really wipe me of my energy sometimes. I don't mind it though, it's just really draining some days," she explained. 

"I understand. I'm sure being the Avatar comes with it's own stresses. That is why this meditation would be good for you to escape for a bit and relax."

Mae-Lin took a deep breath. Meditating into the Spirit World for some peace and quiet is something that she enjoyed when she needed to escape from the world. Most visits she felt very at peace with herself, and often came back better than when she started. 

"Are you almost ready to begin?" Sheng asked after a brief pause.

"Yes. The tea really put me in a calming mood. I am ready when you are," she replied.

"Don't you want to finish our tea?" 

Mae-Lin downed what was left in her cup and enthusiastically slammed her cup on the ground. 

"Finished!" she exclaimed. 

Sheng shook his head as he slowly sipped the rest of his cup. After he finished, he gently folded his right hand over his left and took a deep breath. 

"Let's begin," he said as they both shut their eyes. 

Mae-Lin shifted her body weight on her pillow and began her breathing exercises. She began to release the tension in her body with each breath and she began to noticed her fisted hands drift from in front of her her stomach into her lap. She settled on placing them in a manner like Sheng's as it felt more comfortable. Suddenly she began to feel her body shift into weightlessness as her spirit meditated into the spirit world.

As Mae-Lin opened her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar part of the Spirit World. As she tried to gain her bearings as to were she was, Sheng appeared next to her. 

"Do you know where we are?" he asked.

"Not sure. This place seems oddly familiar though," she said, further taking in the scene. 

Mae-Lin noticed they were in a canyon with densely populated orange and red trees. Thick green grass covered the entirety of the area and with numerous rocks of varying sizes scattered about. Mae-Lin heard a small, single stream with water nearby, it running through the hilly woodland. Both her and Sheng looked up at the sky at the same time and noticed that the trees shared a similar yellow-orange hue as the sky. 

Taking the sight in once again, she began to drift to a particular tree within the grove. She immediately knew where she was when she came to the tree, noticing a large flat rock place right in front. 

"Xai Bau's Grove! I knew this place seemed familiar!" she shouted. 

"You know this place?" Sheng asked.

"This is where Korra met Zaheer for the first time," she said. "I read about this place in her scrapbook. It is exactly how she described it."

"Korra met Zaheer here? What a peaceful place to meet a villain," he replied. 

Mae-Lin didn't think much of his comment as she drifted over to the rock. Her hand felt the smooth stone as a cold shiver spread through her body. She felt very light headed and blacked out for a moment. Her legs began to ache as she lost her footing, almost falling face first into the rock. Sheng was quick to catch her before she face planted into the stone.

"Mae-Lin are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I don't know what just came over me right now. As soon as I touched that rock, my legs just gave out," she replied.

As Sheng helped Mae-Lin gained her footing, a voice rang out from a distance.

"You must be careful Avatar. The Spirit World always has a way of reminding us of our past in mysterious ways," said the soothing voice.

A thin fog hid the short figure for a moment, but as they began to come into view, Mae-Lin began to recognize the person who was coming towards them. She had read about him in various books and letters from Korra and others who had the pleasure of knowing everyone's favorite uncle. 

"Iroh?" she called out.

"It's great to see you again, Avatar," Iroh said with a smile. He slowly came into view, holding up a lantern in his right hand. A large smile spread across his warm face, easing the worries of Sheng and Mae-Lin. 

"Wait...THE Iroh? The one that gave up his physical body to live forever in The Spirit World?" asked Sheng.

"I see they are teaching you a thing or two at that fancy academy you both went to," he said chuckling, his round belly dancing with each laugh. 

"How could I not know about you Iroh! Your wisdom was all over the letters I read from Aang's kids and Aang's team Avatar. There was even a letter from you personally that you wrote to Zuko," said Mae-Lin.

"Ah yes my nephew. I wonder what letter it was he decided to include in that scrapbook," said Iroh, placing a hand on his chin. "It doesn't matter anyway. As long as you found it helpful."

"What would really be helpful is if I could communicate with Korra," said Mae-Lin, her head hanging low. 

"Didn't you just realize she was trying to communicate with you just now?" Iroh asked.

"What do you mean?" she replied.

"You do know who met Korra met at this very place, right?" Iroh asked.

"Zaheer," Mae-Lin replied. 

"Exactly. What happened when you touched that rock?" Iroh asked, yet again.

"Mae-Lin! That was Korra!" exclaimed Sheng before she could answer.

"What you do mean?" asked Mae-Lin.

"I thought it may have been my eyes playing tricks on me, but when you touched that rock for a split second I saw your eyes glow. Maybe that's what caused you to loose your balance like that," Sheng added.

"But I've been in the avatar state before. I have never lost my balance like that," she said. "Of course each time I've gone into the avatar state I haven't been in 100% complete control....so maybe this is just another side effect of me trying to control the power," said Mae-Lin.

"No I think it was Korra! Think about it. When Korra was poisoned by Zaheer she had to relearn how to walk right? When you touched the rock Zaheer sat at, your legs gave out," Sheng said.

"Woah....you are right. I did feel this weird stinging sensation all over my body for a brief moment. Maybe that WAS Korra," Mae-Lin said, thinking about the thought that her past life may have been trying to communicate with her. 

Mae-Lin sighed. It wasn't what she was expecting for her first "real" interaction with Korra to go, but it was better than the radio silence she had been experiencing all this time. 

"I met with Korra many times in her visits to the spirit world. As I told Korra once and I am going to tell you, sometimes in the Spirit World, you always seem to find something you don't know you were looking for," Iroh said, easing Mae-Lin's mind. 

"Could my answer be you?" she asked. 

"I don't know? You tell me," Iroh said. "Besides that little scare you had earlier, what seems to be troubling you?" 

Mae-Lin let out a booming laugh that startled Sheng, knocking him a bit off balance. A look of confusion spread across his face, while Mae-Lin composed herself before she responded to Iroh's question. 

"I have a group of bandits rising in power and terrorizing various cities around the world that no one seems to have under control. The world leaders have trusted me to come up with a plan to stop them and I had to turn to my friends to do so because I couldn't think of anything myself," Mae-Lin said back.

"There is nothing wrong with leaning on your friends for support. Korra had her friends to help her through some tough situations, and even Aang relied on his friends to defeat my brother," Iroh replied.

"You shouldn't have to think you have to do this all on your own," Sheng said, placing his hand on Mae-Lin's shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze. "We are a team. You brought us all together for a reason. Now let us help you." 

Mae-Lin let out a long drawn out sigh. She could feel the tension release as her breath escaped from her lungs.

"We have your back Mae-Lin. Always. Ever since that day you told us you were the Avatar and you asked us to be your "team" we made a vow to be there for you no matter what. We are in this for life," Sheng said, reassuring her. 

"As "Team Avatar's" of the past have supported the Avatar in their quest to balance the world, yours will do the same. I have great faith in the people you have chosen to walk through this lifetime with you," Iroh said, turning his back away. "I hope you found the answers you were looking for!" 

Iroh raised his hand up in farewell as the fog began thicken around him. He quickly drifted away and out of sight before Mae-Lin could respond. 

"Can we sit here for a minute? I need to think," she asked Sheng. 

Sheng nodded in approval as they found a spot in the grass where they were currently standing. The thick green grass tickled her legs ever so slightly, a lot gentler then when her and Oomi get into a tickle fight. As she adjusted into the earth, a slight breeze blew strands of hair in her face. Mae-Lin tucked the loose strands into her headband to avoid any more distraction from her processing the words she just heard from both Iroh and Sheng. 

They were right. All this time she thought she had to do it alone, but she called her friends in to help her for a reason. She didn't know what to do and her friends came together to deliver a brilliant plan to begin to decipher The Resistance's goals. 

"I think I get it now, the whole tree analogy," said Mae-Lin, gazing off into the distance. "The tools can be anything or anyone, but in my case it's you guys. You are what's keeping me grounded and stable."

"Very good Mae-Lin," Sheng replied, leaning back on his hands. "Our tools can be anything or anyone, but for you it is the people you surround yourself with that help keep you grounded. Ever since I met you years ago, you wanted to be independent. You wanted to make your own decisions and you felt you had to be all strong all the time. I know you felt this way because so much of your life was decided for you. It's taken you a while to realize this, however, it was through the help of others that you found your center and began to grow."

Sheng looked over at Mae-Lin as he said, "I am proud with how far you have come since becoming your friend" 

Tears welled up in Mae-Lin's eyes. She used her droopy sleeves of her cardigan to wipe them as she collected herself to reply to Sheng's kind words.

"Thanks Sheng. I really need to hear that," she replied. 

"I don't think you are told enough how far you have come. When I first met you, you were so uptight. It's taken a lot to loosen you up. You are true earthbender, so solid and rigid!" Sheng exclaimed while Mae-Lin let out a laugh.

"You are right in that. While I still like to hold onto my "old ways", I have been able to become more flexible and turn to others for help. It's just hard to ask for help sometimes, especially with being the Avatar," she replied. 

"Just know that whenever you need help, I will always be here. I'm sure the others will be there for you too," he said.

Both of them took another long gaze out into the scene, letting the colors of the view surrounding them fill their sights for a moment. Just then a dark figure appeared in the mist, a figure she couldn't quite make out. 

"Hey, Sheng....Do you see that?" Mae-Lin asked.

"See what?" Sheng said back.

"That...dark figure...past the trees in that clearing to the left," she clarified. 

Mae-Lin stood up to investigate further. After she took a few steps she stopped suddenly as the dark figure came closer and more into view. She soon recognized who it was. 

"How...how is he here?" she asked, her lips trembling.

"Who? Who is here?" Sheng asked, concerned. He had risen from the ground as well, standing a few steps behind her. 

Sheng turned to look at Mae-Lin's face to get a read of who or what she was possibly looking at. Color had completely drained from her face, leaving her skin a ghostly white. Her jaw lay slightly agape, frozen in time. He noticed her hands trembling every so slightly, easily missed if you weren't looked. Sheng's gaze brought him back up to her face, to noticed tears welling up in her yes. 

"Mae-Lin....what are you looking at right now?" Sheng said sternly, but softly.

Mae-Lin was frozen with fear, unable to move. Unable to speak. Her brain screamed to her to move, to say something but her body wouldn't simply do anything. All she could do was stand there, unable say or do anything. All she could do was focus on his eyes. Those dark, piercing, bright blue eyes. It was the only part of his body that was crystal clear. The rest of his features were unclear like the mist around him, but his eyes remained in focus. Suddenly his booming laugh filled her ears which caused her whole body to shiver. 

_"I never wanted anything to do with you!"_ his voice shouted from the distance. _"I didn't really love....you!"_

Mae-Lin felt awareness come back to her body which instantly brought her to her knees. She felt Sheng's hand on her shoulder before realizing that she was returning to her body in the physical world. Her breath returned following a violent hitch in her throat. Mae-Lin grabbed there and let out a cough while she tried to bring air into her lungs.

While she was catching her breath, Sheng had returned back to his body. He immediately rushed to her side to comfort his shaken friend.

"What was that?" Sheng asked. "Who did you see?"

"It...It was...Yuka" Mae-Lin said back, still catching her breath. 

"Why did you freeze up like that?" he asked.

"I....I really....don't know," she replied.

Mae-Lin's breath had fully returned to her lungs, but her body continued to shake. Sheng pulled her into a tight hug, which shocked Mae-Lin since Sheng wasn't much of a hugger.

"Whatever that was, it's over now," Sheng said, rubbing an arm gently on her back.

Mae-Lin's loose grip on Sheng became tighter as she began to sob softly into his shoulder. Mae-Lin always tried to keep her emotions in check, to not show signs of weakness especially in being the Avatar, but this time it poured out like a stream of water coming out of a hose. 

Through her tears she could hear Sheng talking to someone else, but through her sobs she couldn't make out it it was. Her sobs settled for the time being as she lifted her head from Sheng's shoulder. 

"Who's that?" Mae-Lin asked, her eyes still blurry from tears. 

"It's me," Zylon said. "I've been keeping watch of both of you from a distance while you meditated into the Spirit World. I heard you scream and I came rushing over."

Mae-Lin rubbed her eyes clean from tears as Zylon joined them on the ground. 

"I've never seen you do that before, freezing up like that..it was...kinda scary," Sheng said with hesitation in his voice. He glanced over at Zylon with a concerned look on his face, unsure of what to do next. He placed his hand on Mae-Lin's, rubbing it with his thumb. This sent a feeling of calmness through her system, making her feel a bit better.

 _"That's odd,"_ she thought to herself. 

She looked up to Zylon's gaze. His eyes had a glossiness to them, like he was about to cry. This snapped Mae-Lin back to reality even more, as Zylon rarely lets his vulnerabilities show. 

"I have this from here. Thanks Sheng," Zylon said, placing a firm grip on his shoulder with his other hand. 

Sheng nodded in confirmation of Zylon's request. Zylon kept his hand on Mae-Lin's as Sheng left the pavilion. He shifted to sit directly in front of her and to take both of her hands in his. His eyes met hers as she took a deep breath. He stroked both her hands with his thumbs and gave them a gentle squeeze before letting go. 

"So....what happened back there?" asked Zylon.

Mae-Lin fought back tears and the thought of what she experienced rushed back into her mind. It wasn't that she felt uncomfortable being vulnerable around Zylon, in fact he was one of the only people that she felt she could be 100% vulnerable around. Mae-Lin wanted to fight off the tears because she didn't want to cry anymore. She didn't want to give Yuka the power to make her feel this way. 

"It....it was awful Zy...I felt so...helpless..." she said through multiple pauses.

Her gaze shifted downward while Zylon asked, "Why did you feel that way?"

"Seeing Yuka in the Spirit World, a place I go for sanctuary, really threw me for a loop. I never thought he could invade a space I hold so dearly," Mae-Lin said in response. "I never knew he could make me freeze up like that." 

"What do you mean 'freeze up'?" Zylon asked. He thought about the phrase for a moment before responding, "Was it like that one time-"

"Yeah. Just like that," Mae-Lin responded.

Zylon didn't have to ask more questions to know what she was talking about. A few years ago her and Zylon were running errands along Republic City when a passerby ran into her, knocking her hearing aid off her head. The suddenness of her being unable to hear brought her back to the time when she suddenly couldn't hear for the first time. That fear and panic caused her to freeze up even while that passerby apologized left and right. It wasn't until Zylon found her hearing aid and helped her put it back on that she began to unfreeze and come back to down to earth. 

"I couldn't move Zy. I wanted to scream.....to...to tell him how mad I was at him, but all I could do was stand there in fear," Mae-Lin said to him. "I....I didn't know what to do to get out of it. All I could do was stand there, hoping that the moment would pass." 

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Zylon said, placing both his hands on her shoulders. "Just know that what happened back there is over. I'm here. You are safe."

Zylon pulled Mae-Lin into a tight hug. Mae-Lin dug her face into his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his back. Her body began to relax at his touch as he eased up on his grip on her. Zylon began to gently rub her back, calming her even more. 

"Just know Mae-Lin I will always be here to protect you. I may not be able to protect you in the Spirit World, but in this world I will always be here," Zylon said. "I won't let anything bad happen to you if I can do anything about it."

Instead of responding to his statement, Mae-Lin melted more into Zylon's hug. He continued to rub her back, which caused her eyes to become heavy. Soon she felt her exhausted body begin to drift off as her mind began to clear. Her arms began to feel light and drop to her sides. Within seconds she had drifted off to sleep. 

Zylon had quickly noticed that Mae-Lin had fallen asleep when he felt her arms droop. He allowed her to fall asleep in his arms, safe from the outside world. When he knew that she was in deep of a sleep, he picked her up off the ground and began to carry her back to her room. She rustled a bit in his arms as he carried her, but didn't wake. Zylon carefully set her on her bed, thus allowing her to settle in even more. He removed her boots and gloves gently as well as placed her hearing aids on her bedside table. Mae-Lin only stirred a little as he prepped her for bed. Finally he was able to get her tucked in. He stood there for a moment, watching how peaceful she was in slumber. 

As he turned off her bedside lamp, he whispered "Good night my Mae. I love you," while placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. 

Zylon knew she wouldn't have been able to hear him, and she may not have known he kissed her, but Zylon didn't care. He just wanted to put words out in the void that he loved his best friend. He loved her in ways he couldn't yet explain or accept. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Zylon...you hopeless romantic.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! I am open to hearing any constructive comments.


End file.
